I'd like to start this off by reversing the artistic representation of
"Whistle". This is múm featuring vocals by Kylie Minogue, think
nothing more of it. When múm released two albums in the early 00s, people raved
and rated múm to become the next big Icelandic band, and they did. However,
ever since 2002's Finally We Are No One, múm have been dropping further
and further away from that electronic / glitch area they once could call home.
The Valtýsdóttir twins left way over six years ago and múm hasn't quite
recovered from the loss of their driving force. Perhaps now they've found their
place in western music. Those that know of múm will agree that Kylie Minogue
isn't the first name on múm's list of potential collaborators. Múm recorded the
soundtrack to 2012 indie film Jack & Diane, to which Minogue apprears.
"Whistle" is six minute's long and has Minogue perform a Kate Bush /
Björk vocal hybrid. Múm wrote the song, performed the song and should have
credit for the song, which is why it should be múm - Whistle (feat. Kylie
Minogue), and not the other way around. It's not a pop song, and it's not manufactured
like many of Minogue's tracks, it's a múm track with an excellent vocal delivered
by Minogue. She does an excellent job on the chorus, an area múm usually avoid
when it comes to song structure. They wrote "Whistle" with the film
in mind, and Minogue brings the missing pieces to complete the puzzle.
It feels as if Minogue's name can bring new fame to múm, an artist stuck in
the early 00s. People will listen to this and instantly query what direction Minogue’s
taking with her twelfth studio album, set to be released with Jay-Z's Roc
Nation. I can assure you that Minogue's upcoming album will be as pop as ever,
this is just a collaboration taken from the Jack & Diane OST. This is such
a tight song with excellent instrumentation and lyricism by the Icelandic
experimentalists, looking forward from hearing what múm put out next.
~Eddie
