A good night’s sleep is second to Mum

Spencer Patterson

Friday, July 29, 2005 | 8:15 a.m.

Over the last few months, I've gotten into the habit of going to bed with my iPod earphones on.

The music helps lull me to sleep on nights when I'm having trouble winding down. But also, it seems to affect my dreams, as I noted after a couple of particularly vivid sessions spent listening to such epics as the Fiery Furnaces' "Blueberry Boat" and Brian Wilson's "Smile."

For the past week, however, I've been the recipient of some soothing slumber, courtesy of one album I find myself returning to night after night: Mum's 2002 disc "Finally We Are No One."

The Icelandic quartet's second full-length album sounds as it if was crafted to be played in the dark, drifting along as it does in a deep sea of serenity.

Though it borrows generously from early Aphex Twin, Mum's music doesn't quite qualify as ambient. Critics place the group in the humorously named "IDM" (intelligent dance music) category, but there's nothing even remotely danceable about it, so that's also a misnomer.

I'd say Mum is best described as an electronic-pop outfit, although only a few of the 11 tracks on "Finally We Are No One" feature the hooks or rhythm to meet true pop criteria.

Since Mum hails from Iceland, it's no great surprise the foursome takes cues from two of that country's other great acts, blending Bjork's breathy, ethereal vocals with Sigur Ros' emotive, sweeping arrangements.

To my ear, second and third cuts "Green Grass of Tunnel" and "We Have a Map of the Piano" mix those elements better than anything else on the album to my ear.

Then again, that's about all I get through before I'm fast asleep, relaxing to the most entrancing, mellow discs I've heard in a long time.

Artist: Mum.

Title: "Finally We Are No One."

Year of release: 2002 (Fat Cat Records).

Tracklisting: "Sleep/Swim," "Green Grass of Tunnel," "We Have A Map of the Piano," "Don't Be Afraid, You Have Got Your Eyes Closed," "Behind Two Hills ... a Swimmingpool," "K/Half Noise," "Now There's That Fear Again," "Faraway Swimmingpool," "I Can't Feel My Hand Any More, It's Alright, Sleep Still," "Finally We Are No One," "The Land Between Solar Systems."