Show Recap: múm + Sin Fang Bous [Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago, 10/28/09]

Iceland is a curious place, that's for sure. They're not a country with a huge population, yet we seem to have a fair number of noteworthy artists coming from there, be it a Bjork or a Sigur Ros. The best part is that there's very little you might call "traditional" about these artists - they don't seem particularly concerned with adapting to musical trends or even creating music that's less than innovative. I've not yet heard a plain-sounding artist that has come from Iceland. I'm mostly convinced that it has almost everything to do with living in a country of such beauty and culture. To put it simply though, if you introduce me to an artist from Iceland, I've already made the assumption that their music is nothing short of interesting and good.
This is how I was introduced to Sin Fang Bous, the latest musical project put together by Sindri Már Sigfússon, whose one-man band Seabear got attention of its own a couple years back. Sigfússon allowed Seabear to grow by adding a few members before finally putting that band on hold (they'll be back in 2010) to pursue other projects. He decided to get back to the simplicity of being a lone wolf, recording under the name Sin Fang Bous for the debut album "Clangour". That album, which I heard for the first time a few months ago, is a highly interesting take on acoustic-based pop music, with added elements of vocal overdubs, electro beats, flutes, psychedelic haze and other little oddities. The album may not be one of the absolute best things I've heard so far this year, but it's definitely a record that I strongly admire and advise you to pick up should it catch your ear. That being said, Sigfússon decided to join his friends múm on the road for a U.S. tour this fall to play some shows before returning to Seabear for a new album and spring tour (of note, there will also be a new Sin Fang Bous album in 2010). That tour stopped by Chicago's own Logan Square Auditorium on Wednesday night, and I was privileged to be in the crowd for it.

I arrived at Logan Square Auditorium early enough to catch an early set from Hildur Guðnadóttir, who is the cellist for múm and has a solo career of her own. She creates darkly cinematic instrumental landscapes in a live setting primarily by looping her cello for the various parts. She also had a little bit of help on bass guitar for a few songs towards the end of her set. It was definitely good, and something I'd expect to come out of Iceland. They'd be right at home amid the glaciers and palatial landscapes of that country, though would probably be most effective in the darkness. It was a great post-rock sort of way to start the night out, leading into the more upbeat and poppier songs that Sin Fang Bous brought to the table.

So either Sindri Már Sigfússon has already added members to Sin Fang Bous, or he's just got some extra musicians helping him out to recreate the sounds of "Clangour" while on stage. I did see a couple members of múm play with him on some or all of the songs, along with a couple of other guys to create a 4-5 piece band. Through the use of 3 different microphones (for vocal effects) and a couple different instruments, Sigfússon did an excellent job recreating the sound of his album, but it was often done with a bit of a twist. A few of the songs took on lives of their own, breaking from their album versions to give an extra little instrumental tweak here and there or just to break from a 4/4 time signature to switch up the tempo. There were times when some of the songs took on a Jekyll and Hyde personality, speeding up and slowing down between verses and the chorus. It was a pretty cool way of doing things, even though sometimes I halfway thought there were mistakes being made because something didn't sound quite right. Turns out it was all part of the plan, as I quickly picked up on after giving "Clangour" another close listen after the show. In terms of stage banter, I don't typically expect foreigners that don't speak English as a first language to be incredibly talkative when they play in the U.S., but Sigfússon did an admirable job introducing the songs and kindly explaining that this was his first time visiting Chicago. I hope he had as good of a time here as the crowd seemed to have while he was playing. So the Sin Fang Bous set was great, and above all else I hope some people were inspired enough to look into their music further.

Sin Fang Bous- Catch the Light
Sin Fang Bous- Sunken Ship [alt]

Buy "Clangour" from Amazon

Headlining the night of course was múm, and I can say that the crowd was very excited about that. Speaking of the crowd, there were a good couple hundred people at this show, filling up Logan Square a little over halfway. From listening to some conversations going on around me between sets, I can say that a fair number of those people weren't American, but of course spoke English with heavy accents. Not that the ethnic diversity of the crowd mattered, it's just that I typically don't see that many foreign-born people in one place. But it was a couple of Americans that partially ruined my múm experience by being pushy, taking too many photos, and attempting to dance in some of the most awkward ways possible. Simply put, I was a little annoyed at these people, but I suppose they had themselves a great time at the expense of few others aside from me. But about múm's set. It was nothing short of excellent. Not only was it technically proficient, with Sigurlaug Gísladóttir and Hildur Guðnadóttir doubling over vocals with Gunnar Tynes along with plenty of melodica, cello and trumpet, but it was a whole lot of fun as well. Of course múm naturally lends itself to such fun, as their albums have a real sense of childlike wonder and innocence to them. The material they pulled from during their set was largely off their last two albums, which isn't entirely a good thing. Their latest record, "Sing Along to Songs You Don't Know," is a bit shaky compared to the rest of their discography, though really things haven't been the same since Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir left the band a few years ago. Still, I like to think that with all the talent still left in the band, they can do most anything convincingly, and that includes putting on a great performance of songs that are considered by many to be some of their weakest to date.

If I had one wish for this set, it was that it be set in a venue that had seats. When you get a band like múm, equal parts lighthearted pop and soothing quiet melodies, there are certain songs you just want to relax for and let them take you away on a river of beauty. There was a certain point about midway through the band's set that I just wanted to lay down and take a nap right there on the floor, and it would have helped if I had a chair to sit in. That's not to call it boring, but rather soothing, like an aural massage where you just want to pass out on the table while the music does its magic on your ears. Eventually though I came out of my haze, somewhere around an energized version of "Dancing Behind My Eyelids" and the recorder/kazoo fun that happened immediately afterwards, and that's when things really got good. To end their set, múm played the song "Sing Along" and held up poster boards with some of the lyrics on them. It was amazingly cute, much like the song itself, and I don't know how anybody could resist smiling from ear to ear during it. The encore was great as well, sending the crowd into more of a frenzy than they were already in, which is really how you want to end things - with people wanting more.

múm- Illuminated
múm- They Made the Frogs Smoke 'Til They Exploded

Buy "Sing Along to Songs You Don't Know" from Amazon

Delightful is the word I'd use to describe the night overall, and a couple bands from Iceland are responsible for it. Seriously, the country has a wealth of amazing artists, with Sin Fang Bous and múm being just two of them. The music they have to offer isn't always mindblowing, but their live shows are nothing short of excellent. If you've got the chance to see this tour before they leave North America, you'd be wise to do so.

Labels: concert, mum, sin fang bous