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The Mummers: Tale to Tell
Grade: B

The Mummers.. One part 50s/60s musical movies, one part Bjork, and one part Lily Allen. Now as weird as this recipe sounds, it’s pretty delish. The instrumentation takes you into this lush magical forest- you know, it’s kind of like the happy fairytale counterpart to Bat for Lashes recent release, Two Suns. Britain’s the Mummers surely does not disappoint in their first release.

I saw the Mummers play at Rough Trade during my stint in London and the show always stuck in the forefront of my mind. At the time I purchased their EP, Tale to Tell: Pt. 1, which consists of about 3/4 of the songs on this full-length with the addition of the poppy circus romp “This is Heaven” and “Wake Me Up”.

The only complaint I have is that their is no large dynamic in the album. The horns are beautiful, but they give each song the same effect, making some songs sound too similar or repetitive. Standout tracks include “Teardropsfall” where singer Raissa repeats lines that seem to swirl in and out of your speakers, with melodic backing vocals, and light strings and woodwinds.

According to the beloved Wikipedia, the band got their name “from the medieval performing troupes who would go door-to-door wearing masks and costumes”….well this explanation certainly explains their festive, jolly vibe. Now go buy this and go do a dance down the street while listening.