Múm – Yesterday Was Dramatic, Today Is OK [20th Anniversary Edition] (2019) Review: Iceland's Múm proves to be as successful at creating emotional ambient electronic music as they are at posing for album covers (the twin sisters in the band appeared on the sleeve of Belle & Sebastian's Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant). Yesterday Was Dramatic -- Today Is OK blends equal parts early Aphex Twin atmosphere, glitchy clicks reminiscent of Autechre, and dramatic musical elements that evoke the sorrow and glory of compatriot's Sigur Rós. Múm allow their songs to stretch out into lush, lengthy arrangements as a synthetic accordion mingles with rolling beats, icy analog effects, beeping instruments that recall some fantastic Disney ride, and the occasional female voice humming or singing quietly. Melodicas, glockenspiels, and other exotic instruments spur recurring motifs of sadness and joy. When the album isn't operating as a perfect postmodern lullaby, Múm is at work crafting memorable melodies. "Awake on a Train" is typical of the startling beauty the band achieves throughout the album, as tinkering keyboards and a lone voice work as aural tearjerkers. "The Ballad of the Broken Birdie Records" suggests what the pairing of Cocteau Twins and Mike Paradinas might have sounded like, as throbbing, hazy electronics lean against haunting vocals. "Sunday Night Just Keeps on Rolling" brings to mind tiny ships sounding off to each other across a sea of flowing lava. Though the album is modern in its inception, the music is effortlessly timeless and thoroughly engrossing. Yesterday Was Dramatic -- Today Is OK is an unmitigated, accessible masterpiece. — allmusic.com Track List: 01 - I'm 9 Today (2019 Remaster) 02 - Smell Memory (2019 Remaster) 03 - There Is a Number of Small Things (2019 Remaster) 04 - Random Summer (2019 Remaster) 05 - Asleep On a Train (2019 Remaster) 06 - Awake On a Train (2019 Remaster) 07 - The Ballað of the Broken Birdie Records (2019 Remaster) 08 - The Ballað of the Broken String (2019 Remaster) 09 - Sunday Night Just Keeps On Rolling (2019 Remaster) 10 - Slow Bicycle (2019 Remaster) 11 - The Ballað of the Broken Birdie Records (Ruxpin Remix II) 12 - Smell Memory (Bix Remix) 13 - There Is a Number of Small Things & the Ballað of the Broken Birdie Records (µ-Ziq Straight Mix) 14 - The Ballað of the Broken Birdie Records (Biogen Mix) 15 - Smell Memory 16 - Random Summer 17 - The Ballað of the Broken String Media Report: Genre: electronic Origin: Iceland Format: FLAC Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec Bit rate mode: Variable Channel(s): 2 channels Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz Bit depth: 16 bits Compression mode: Lossless Writing library: libFLAC 1.3.0 (UTC 2013-05-26) Note: If you like the music, support the artist