Toyland. That’s the enchanted child’s world that Icelandic band múm took us to from the very first wave of raggedy melodic layers to the last in its concert last night at the cavernous Esplanade Concert Hall.

Pweeet, toot, pling, clang… It was with an assortment of toy and regular musical instruments – melodicas, guitars, pianettes, cello, bass, drums, whirly pipe, trumpet, piano, harmonica, kazoo - as well as electronics and the vocals of Gunnar Örn Tynes (co-founder and multi-instrumentalist), Hildur Guðnadóttir (violinist and cellist), and Sigurlaug Gísladóttir a.k.a. mr silla (multi-instrumentalist) that the seven-man band performed its repertoire.

From ambient soundscapes to chanting ballads (Oh, How the Boat Drifts) to pretty melodies (Marmalade Fires) to catchy little ditties (A little bit sometimes), these focused on building drama more than structure, and lushly orchestrated fanfare rather than sing-a-long songs.

If only we could have heard what they were singing-murmuring-gurgling, we’d have seen some of the oddest, quirkiest images painted by the lyrics. But as it was, it was the effects of the vocals, sound effects and music that kept things otherwordly.

And maybe it was the hypnotic effect of the incantation-like repetition, or the electronic hum and digital drone in the background, or the little-girl singing, but it wasn’t long before the people up onstage began to resemble dolls to our fuzzy minds.

Bringing that breezy, feel-good Caribbean vibe to the Theatre Studio last night was Sweden’s reggae master Desmond Foster, heating up the dance floor with two hours of non-stop music!

Together with his band, Desmond got the audience shakin’ dere baxsides to his own originals and reggae classics such as I Didn’t Know by Dennis Brown, Dreamland by Bunny Wailer, and Bob Marley standards such as Get Up Stand Up and No Woman, No Cry. But more than nostalgic old-school reggae, these were funked up with a ska and hip-hop feel, delivered with some really tight playing and a laidback groove that showed off each musician’s Jamaican roots and influences and Desmond’s soulful voice.

Swedish rap-ragga artist MC Papa Dee made a guest appearance on the set, backing up Desmond with hip-hop-dancehall rhymes, as well as performing some of his solo hits such as Island Rock. It was fantastic to see the real chemistry and camaraderie between the two friends as each got the audience clapping and cheering for the other in between songs.

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