I have come to terms with the Múm album. You could say I even like it. More than a Raymond rerun (though it does lack suburban Italian-American stereotypes, thus having me conclude to give it a rating of only 4 Lasagnas). It certainly wavers from their past albums, specifically in terms of the vocals. The departure of the Valtysdóttir twins has seen founding member Gunnar Örn Tynes provide vocals alongside a new female vocalist/instrumentalist, whose exciting Icelandic name I'm unsure of. The addition of these male vocals and new-female-member-whose-name-I-am-unsure-of's vocals greatly alter the sound of the band. Hopefully this evening at the Opera House they will bring out old songs as well, although I'm not sure how they will sound without the nearly inaudible breathy vocals of the Valtysdóttir twins.
Go Go Smear The Poison Ivy has Múm move towards a more uplifting sound overall. This is still beautiful music that provides a unique, elf-like (I don't really know if the music is in fact elf-like, but numerous reviews I've read refer to the music as such) experience, but in general it has a happier tune compared to songs from Summer Make Good and Finally We Are No One.
Why are long pants long? Why do doves cry? Why is Sam's Club a complete replica of Costco, including the exact same store layout? I realize that pondering in this territory could consume the rest of my life and no one really likes a philosopher (sure, you tolerate them sometimes, like when a philosopher tags along for a mutual friend's birthday and tries to have "deep" conversations with you at the end of the table and you are feeling increasingly embarrassed and you are trying to return to the main conversation without hurting the philosopher's feelings), but sometimes pondering is enjoyable. My favourite aspect of pondering is the ability to do the pondering pose––you know, weak fist below the chin, head turned slightly upward. Lately I've been pondering quite frequently, yet I have not been attending any birthday outings and singling out unsuspecting outing-goers with my philosophical banter. I am trying to reconcile the notion that one must ultimately act solely for him/herself with my vehement opposition to Ayn Rand's notions of objectivism (that is, the moral purpose of life is solely to achieve one's own happiness). I think there is a thin line that separates the two. To be truly happy, one must ultimately do things for him/herself. However, to suggest that the actual purpose of life is mainly to achieve this singular happiness purports a moral argument that defends selfishness through philosophical reason. It is easy to fall into a life of selfishness when you are inward looking (as I have been lately) and cannot see that your actions effect anyone besides yourself. Ayn Rand was an ardent anti-Communist who moved from the USSR to America and gave in to the dichotomy of the Cold War. She rejected all aspects of Communism and built her philosophical beliefs solely on anti-Communist sentiments. Ultimately, she's not so much a philosopher as she is a bitch.
