Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is OK

Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is OK
Studio album by
Múm
Released23 December 1999 (1999-12-23)
Genre
Length67:36
LabelTMT
Múm chronology
Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is OK
(1999) 		Finally We Are No One
(2002)
Singles from Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is OK
  1. "The Ballad of the Broken Birdie Records"
    Released: 1999[5]

Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is OK is the debut studio album by Icelandic band Múm. It was released on 23 December 1999 by TMT Entertainment.[6][7]

Critical reception and legacy

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The Guardian[4]
Mojo[8]
Muzik4/5[9]
NME8/10[10]
Pitchfork9.1/10[11]
Tiny Mix Tapes4.5/5[12]

Reviewing Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is OK for AllMusic, Tim DiGravina found the music "effortlessly timeless and thoroughly engrossing" and called the album "an unmitigated, accessible masterpiece."[3] Matt LeMay of Pitchfork deemed it "one of the most deeply, purely emotionally affecting albums of the year."[11]

In 2005, Múm performed Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is OK live in its entirety as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties-curated Don't Look Back concert series.[13] On 30 August 2019, Morr Music released a 20th anniversary remastered edition of the album, which included remixes and reinterpretations of the album's songs as bonus tracks.[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason, Gunnar Örn Tynes, Gyða Valtýsdóttir and Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir.[14]

No.TitleLength
1."I'm 9 Today"4:42
2."Smell Memory"9:23
3."There Is a Number of Small Things"6:32
4."Random Summer"3:12
5."Asleep on a Train"7:17
6."Awake on a Train"9:23
7."The Ballad of the Broken Birdie Records"5:25
8."The Ballad of the Broken String"4:45
9."Sunday Night Just Keeps on Rolling"8:10
10."Slow Bicycle"8:47
Total length:67:36
20th anniversary edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."The Ballad of the Broken Birdie Records" (Ruxpin remix II)5:13
12."Smell Memory" (Bix remix)5:14
13."There Is a Number of Small Things & The Ballad of the Broken Birdie Records" (µ-Ziq Straight mix)8:01
14."The Ballad of the Broken Birdie Records" (Biogen mix)5:24
15."Smell Memory" (Kronos Quartet rework)9:34
16."Random Summer" (Hauschka rework)3:53
17."The Ballad of the Broken String" (Sóley rework)4:08
Total length:109:03

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[15]

Additional musicians

  • Helga Björg Arnardóttir – clarinet on "There Is a Number of Small Things" and "Awake on a Train"
  • Sigríður Geirsdóttir – strings on "Awake on a Train"
  • Hildur Guðnadóttir – strings on "Awake on a Train"
  • Stefán Már Magnússon – guitar on "Awake on a Train"
  • Eiríkur Orri Ólafsson – trumpet on "Awake on a Train"
  • Gróa Margrét Valdimarsdóttir – strings on "Awake on a Train"

Production

  • Finnur Björnsson – mixing, recording
  • Finnur Hákonarson – recording
  • Múm – mixing, recording

Design

  • Arnaldur Hilmisson – artwork
  • Múm – artwork

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Iceland 23 December 1999
TMT [6][7][16]
United Kingdom 19 June 2000 CD Tugboat [17]
Japan 25 September 2001 P-Vine [18]
Various 4 October 2005
  • CD
  • LP
 Morr [19]
Japan 21 September 2007 CD P-Vine [20][21]
17 October 2012 Hostess [22]
Various 30 August 2019
Morr [6][23]

References

  1. ^ Gonzales, Matt (30 September 2009). "Múm: Sing Along to Songs You Don't Know". PopMatters. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  2. ^ Cheung, Karen (17 December 2020). "The Quiet Poetry of Post-Rock". The Rumpus. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  3. ^ a b c DiGravina, Tim. "Yesterday Was Dramatic, Today Is OK – Múm". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  4. ^ a b Kabuubi, Maxine (30 June 2000). "Mum: Yesterday was Dramatic, Today is OK (Tugboat)". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  5. ^ "múm – The Ballad Of The Broken Birdie Records – Vinyl 12" – 1999 – IS – Original". HHV. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d "múm: Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is OK". Morr Music. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Múm". Thule Musik. Archived from the original on 24 January 2002. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  8. ^ Tyler, Kieron (November 2019). "múm: Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is OK". Mojo. No. 312. p. 107.
  9. ^ Green, Thomas H. (August 2000). "Múm: Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is OK". Muzik. No. 63. p. 74.
  10. ^ "múm: Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is OK". NME. Archived from the original on 29 June 2001. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  11. ^ a b LeMay, Matt (7 July 2001). "Múm: Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is OK". Pitchfork. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  12. ^ "Múm – Yesterday Was Dramatic Today is Ok". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  13. ^ "The Covers Album". Stereogum. 1 August 2005. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  14. ^ References for songwriting credits:
  15. ^ Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is OK (liner notes). Múm. TMT Entertainment. 1999. TMT02CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ Williamson, Nigel, ed. (31 March 2001). "Global Music Pulse". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 13. p. 43. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  17. ^ "News". Rough Trade Records. Archived from the original on 19 April 2001. Retrieved 23 January 2022. In the left sidebar, click Tugboat. Click NEWS.
  18. ^ "イエスタデイ・ワズ・ドラマティック-トゥデイ・イズ・オーケー | ムーム" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  19. ^ "múm: Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is OK". Morr Music. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  20. ^ "「yesterday was dramatic – today is ok」ムーム – リリース情報" (in Japanese). P-Vine Records. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  21. ^ "イエスタデイ・ワズ・ドラマティック-トゥデイ・イズ・オーケー | ムーム" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  22. ^ "イエスタデイ・ワズ・ドラマティック-トゥデイ・イズ・オーケー | ムーム" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  23. ^ Múm. "Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today Is OK (20th Anniversary Edition)". Bandcamp. Retrieved 24 January 2021.