I have three albums by the Icelandic group Múm, including the new one, Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy, but I have to admit they’re the sort of records that sound pleasant to me and then wash past without leaving too much of an impression. I suppose I should spend more time burrowing into these recordings, because the group leaves much more of an impression on me in concert. I saw Múm a few years ago at the Logan Square Auditorium, and they returned to the same venue last Thursday (Nov. 1) for another show. It was an evening of beautiful sounds, an enchanting weave of electronica, standard rock instruments and lots of folkie devices (Melodica, autoharp, ukulele), with some passionate vocals. The two female singers in Múm smile a lot, as if they’re enjoying every second of putting across their music.
The opening act was Tom Brosseau, a singer-songwriter who invariably plays solo with his acoustic guitar, crooning out pretty tunes with slightly archaic-sounding words. His eyes could bore a hole in you as he sings. Toward the end of his set, he commented on the people talking at the back of the room while insisting on singing a song that required hushed quiet to match the revealing nature of the lyrics and the soft melody.