stop-motion
08/30/2007
Mum: They Made Frogs Smoke 'til They Exploded
I'm still in my 20s, but nothing turns me into an old man faster than electronica music. When riding in the cars of my raver friends I have often been know to yell “This is noise, not music!” and shake my cane disapprovingly. Something I am a fan of, however, is crazy-go-nuts animation. If an electronica track is accompanied by an elaborate, trippy animated sequence, I am willing to cut the song some slack and go along for the ride.
Today my electronica-animation exception has served me well because it has led me to both this fantastic video from animator Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir and the delightful accompanying song They Made Frogs Smoke ‘til They Exploded by the band Múm. The animation in this video is an accomplishment in its own right, but is made all the more impressive by the fact that, in this age of cgi and flash animation, Frogs appears to be good, old-fashioned ink, paint, and stop-motion. It warms the cockles of my old man’s heart to know that these antiquated, but ever charming, techniques have yet to be abandoned completely.
Equally impressive is the song itself. Apparently, Múm has been around since 1998 and has released three full-length albums and a whole mess of EPs. They Made Frogs Smoke ‘til They Exploded is the first single from their upcoming forth album Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy. I suppose my punishment for being such a close-minded old fogey is that occasionally I do miss out on gems like this. On this track Múm has managed to combine real instruments, drum machines, 8-bit bloop loops, and vocal harmonies into a sublime cacophony that gives Frogs a warmth and playfulness that’s often lacking in the genre. It’s worth noting that Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir has also done the album art for both the Frogs single, and the Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy album, which will be released September 25th on Fatcat Records. I, for one, already have my calendar marked. Noise never sounded so good.
