Here’s something I didn’t expect to hear today – or at all to be honest. Although a little late to the party, this collaboration between pop superstar Kylie Minogue and Icelandic collective múm has surfaced in the realms of the internet. Full of twinkling electronics, skipping IDM beats, and occasional accordion bursts, “Whistle” has a backing track that’s undeniably múm-like (and surprisingly it’s void of any whistling, too). And that if the string arrangement that swells as the tracks progresses is their doing, then it might well be the most lovely thing they’ve produced in the past decade.
And of course, then there’s Kylie, sounding at first like she’s doing her best impression of former múm-singer Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir. Before long her voice creeps out from the scared darkness and it sounds really quite naturally beautiful. When you’re used to hearing her aside thumping beats, belting out her undeniably catchy choruses, it can be easy to forget she’s an extremely talented singer who has gotten as far as she has only because she does what she does very well. With múm by her side she sounds comfortable and at ease. It’s hard to say what context this track is supposed or will fit into, but it’s still a pleasingly enjoyable six minutes to listen to.
