Of Monsters and Men

In retrospect, with a name alluding to the famous novella written by one of my favorite authors (John Steinbeck), it was inevitable that I would explore the music of the band Of Monsters and Men. This six-piece indie/folk band is just the latest Icelandic group to emerge from the small, remote island that seemingly produces more internationally-acclaimed musicians than it should, joining the likes of Sigur Rós, Björk, Emiliana Torrini and the last artist I interviewed, Ólöf Arnalds. 

In 2010, Of Monsters and Men broke onto the Icelandic music scene when they won the nation-wide battle of the bands competition, Músíktilraunir. However, the band is now quickly gaining international acclaim, and rightfully so, for its single “Little Talks” off of their album My Head Is an Animal, which will be released internationally early this year. This beautiful song features a man and a woman who are no longer together, and miss each other to the point of going insane, singing back and forth before climaxing to a harmony that always has me singing “Don’t listen to a word I say” for the rest of the day. This song has led David Fricke of Rolling Stone Magazine to call them the “new Arcade Fire” and Iceland’s Mumford and Sons. The Arcade Fire comparison is easy to agree with, only slightly harder for Mumford and Sons, but I can’t help but think of the Canadian band Stars when I hear the interwoven male and female vocals. Regardless of who this band is compared to, they have carved out a sound that is unique and entertaining – leaving me anxiously waiting for their full album to hit the shelves in North America. 

- Doug Ross, Crazian Canadians (Tuesdays 8-10pm @ WQHS.org)