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November 23, 2024


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Yesterday Was Dramatic - Today Is Ok / Remixed (TMT)

By: Cam Lindsay

While they may have released one of this year's finest albums (Finally We Are No One), Iceland's Múm are not as new as some may think. Their debut album, Yesterday Was Dramatic - Today Is Ok, came out in 2000, and seems to be on its way to reaching the status of "hard to find classic". Unfortunately, it just falls shy of meeting the magic of its follow-up. Barely. Even though it can honestly be said that Yesterday is definitely their second best album, it still shines brightly and blindingly. This quartet has something special that easily puts them up there with fellow praised Icelanders, Björk and Sigur Rós. What Yesterday offers is some extremely imaginative musical moments, filled with accordions, melodicas, vibes, clicks and cuts, and voices that pop in and out unexpectedly. The vocals aren't used very often, which takes a major part of the band's appeal away, but seeing as they began this way, it's a lot more forgivable. The whole charm of the band really lies in the fact that their music sounds, warm and friendly, even though it sometimes reflects a certain loneliness. Much more satisfying than the laptop rock it sometimes resembles, Yesterday feels revolutionary, in an age where music made with electronics feels cold, uninviting and unoriginal most of the time. Grade: A-

Also available for those who just can't get enough, is a remix collection of songs from Yesterday. Simply titled Remixed, the record features nine remixes of five of the album's songs, including contributions by F-Ziq and El Hombre Trajeado among others. The songs range from downtempo and jungle to post-rock and abstract absurdity. Definitely an essential companion. Grade: B+

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