In Praise of Girlfriend’s Musical Tastes...and Múm’s ‘Finally We Are No One’

by Gary Jansz, Curator-The Sound, It Resounds

 For the majority of my life, I’ve been a music pusher. In high school, my friend Rich and I were the designated vinyl junkies who bought music regularly and shared it with our little gang of misfits. In college I was music director of the campus radio station and would get tons of promos from the majors—most of it crap. That said, I did get advance copies of some pretty cool new wave and punk rock stuff which I would once again share with our little group of friends. Eventually, working in independent distribution and then digital distribution gave me unprecedented access to the new releases of some of the most exciting, burgeoning new bands, and artists of the day.  These too, I would share with friends throughout my late 20s and 30s.

Unfortunately an over-consumption of available riches eventually lead to a blasé attitude towards a lot of new music and familiarity began to breed contempt . It was kind of the musical equivalent to gorging yourself on your favorite food for so long that eventually the thought of another bite makes you sick to your stomach. Ironically, it was in the above context that Múm first came to my attention, some eight years ago, well before I would eventually appreciate them, and in a new and enjoyable context.

I was working for a record company that was distributing the Fat Cat label (just around the time Sigur Ros was getting big) and I remember getting a generic, anonymous looking promo—like most label promos tend to be.  Having given it my usual cursory, lackadaisical listen, I recall that it was pleasant enough but hardly something that would set the hairs on end in any memorable fashion. It was added to the growing heap of promos and unheard new releases on my desk like a stray log tossed onto the fire.  Here’s where the context with a capital “C” comes in, and for many guys reading this, you'll know what I mean, and what’s more, you’ll appreciate it. For any girl reading this—yeah we know, we can sometimes be gormless dorks who really haven’t evolved much beyond a Nick Hornby/High Fidelity stereotype.

With some exceptions, most relationships I’ve been in have followed the pattern of music pusher (outlined in the first paragraph) when it comes to sharing music.  When it’s come to musical tastes, girlfriends have ranged from the embarrassingly appalling to the reasonably well-versed. But in 2007 I met a girl who could also bear the title of music pusher; a title I would gladly relinquish. I think I pretty much knew I was in love with her when she heartily espoused the merits of Pink Floyd’s Meddle and Slint’s Spiderland. Not only did she like Spiderland, but she was also aware of its importance in the canon of post-rock and how influential it was. It certainly helped, of course, that she was a cute, nerdy, intelligent, opinionated girl who could speak quite eloquently about a number of topics—music being one of them.

Our early days together jump started a new fondness for discovering new music that I hadn’t enjoyed in years. Taking the role of music pupil instead of music pusher was not only liberating but was an initial bonding dance that initiated many discussions, listening sessions and concert experiences solidifying the formative first few months of our relationship. And one of the records that I have come to recognize as the apex of this awakening and enjoyment was Múm’s  Finally We Are No One.  Far from being a major benchmark or bellwether in electronica, to an indie rock kid, Finally We Are No One possessed all the tenets that would appeal to someone dipping their first tentative toe in the genre. Lovely, hypnotic, cooing helium-like female vocals, mixed with real instrumentation and lush beds of samples and organic electronics were just the right fit for my ears at the time.

Finally We Are No One had such an impact on me that it literally was the gateway to the likes of Four Tet, Efterklang, Lali Puna, Dntel, the Notwist, and much more.  I will also concede that it inspired the formation of the last band I played in.  In a lot of ways Finally We Are No One is a bit of a random choice out of that heady time of reclaiming an enthusiasm for music; I could have written about any of the above really.  But Finally We Are No One is endearing and enduring because it will always remind me of that first nervous, awkward, goofy and exciting step of new love; only this time it actually came with a soundtrack leaving us both to fill in the narrative together. Happily, we’re still filling in the narrative today.

Gary Jansz - July 2010

Comments

[Gary - curator of The Sound, It Resounds]

Thanks so much Paul. Glad you were able to identify with it as well. Keep on followin'!

[Paul]

It was great to read this because, by the same token, this album was part of a similar awakening to me back around 2004. Mum was just the gateway drug that I needed to lead to two of my all time favorite artists Elliot Smith and Sigur Ros, setting me on a path of musical discovery that has taken me farther than I would have ever expected (even to this day).

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