Maus--Classic 90's Icelandic Alt-Rock--Lof Mér Að Falla Að Þínu Eyra!!!

I'm probably beating this story to death, but I remember seeing Maus, the great Icelandic alternative band. Only not on stage. I saw them in Hljomalind, a really nice record shop in Reykjavik. No longer open I've heard. They had just released their first album and I suspect that they had just got out of school and they rushed inside to see how sales were. They were so young then.

After the band cut out, the store clerk asked me if I wanted to hear the album. I said, sure. And I have to admit I was very impressed. The band had a lot of chops, and the music was nice and loud, but really accomplished. Of course I bought the album. It seemed to me that these guys were onto something that could only get better.

And you know what? They got a lot better.

Meeces to Pieces

Because today my focus is their 3rd album, Lof Mér Að Falla Að Þínu Eyra,  which came out in 1997 on the Sproti label. I think I saw somebody list this as #15 on a list of classic Icelandic albums, and though I am nothing more than a novice when it comes to Ice-Rock, I am not at all surprised about the high props. But that is domestic consumption of course, where this band was hugely popular. I don't hear a lot said about this album--I suppose at that time there weren't a lot of people internationally that wanted to hear a group with Icelandic lyrics to their songs. They cut some music in English, but the Great Pop Crossover Potential, as so many other Icelandic bands sought, proved too elusive for them. Read Dr. Gunni's splendid Blue Eyed Pop book for the whole history of  "World Domination or Not."

Of course, in this new millenium, the Icelandic music scene is the focus of much international attention, so it is a very different world today than the 90's. People are more likely to accept the notion that excellent music can come from anywhere. And the music scene has also developed and grown more sophisticated, realizing quantum leaps in diversity and quality, and of course marketing.



Maus:
Birgir "Biggi" Orn Steinarsson: Gitar, vocals
Daniel Þorsteinsson: Drums
Eggert Gislason: Bass
Pall Ragnar Pálsson: Gitar




I was trying to figure out how to describe this band and they sounded so very familiar but I couldn't grasp the connection. I then read that Roger O'Donnell of The Cure guested on this album---it was that very familiar keyboard sound I was hearing.  But certainly I would not be writing this post if they were merely band of Cure clones.They still manage to rock fairly hard in places, but with a highly developed pop-sense. Even though I don't know what they are singing about, I am really enjoying this album.  They are just a very skilled band, and that gives them the latitude to mix things up and do a variety of interesting things, though there is no doubt that they are definitely a band of their era.

Maus has been inactive since 2004, though band members have been involved in various projects.
Who knows? All bands seem to reunite--it's what bands do.

Overall, Maus' Lof Mér Að Falla Að Þínu Eyra  is a pretty terrific album. Unfortunately I'm not certain where you could get yourself a copy these days. The title apparently can be translated as "Let Me Drop into your Ear", which in my opinion is extremely sound advice.