Mum's the word

Mum - Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy

Originally formed in 1997 by Gunnar Orn Tynes, Orvar Poreyjarson Smarason, and twin sisters Gyoa and Kristin Anna Valtysdottir (who appeared on the cover of Belle & Sebastian's "Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant"), Mum is one of my most adored bands. Inspired by the likes of Aphex Twin and Boards Of Canada, and with an ever-changing cast of members (now a 7-piece band), Mum create an almost impossible jumble of glitchy beats, children's toy instruments, accordions and pianos, and spacey vocals. The sound they create is unmistakably recognizable, but difficult to describe - on their website, they do their best:

"The feeling of the music is hard to explain. Maybe a cross between something and something else, you know like music critics say. 'It´s like Aerosmith and Spin Doctors stuck together in an elevator,' obviously they don´t say stuff like that about us, but they could say something in that direction so you know what I mean. I can make up one of these for us: 'It´s like a cross between hovering silently over a field of rhubarb jam and breaking your teeth, remembering how you broke your teeth or dreamily anticipating the time that you eventually will.' Doesn´t quite seem right though, but we tried."

Check out the track "A Little Bit, Sometimes".