Monsters!
This is the first full-length from Icelandic charming charmers Of Monsters and Men. My Head is an Animal is a folksy, familiar sounding record with anthemic elements thrown in that will have you humming for days. The dual him/her (Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir/Ragnar “Raggi” Þórhallsson) Vocals work damn-near flawlessly with neither taking a back seat to the other. Seeing photos of the chunky Þórhallsson next to the long, dark haired Hilmarsdóttir, I can’t help but think of a young Black Francis and Kim deal. The launching point for the attention deficit crowd is “Little Talks” which is the obvious first single and nudge that got the Monster ball rolling. My Head is an Animal is not a record that has 4 minutes worth paying attention to surrounded by 40 minutes of filler, fluff and trash. On the contrary, with each listen, I have the oh-I-forgot-about-this-song moment over and over. Accordion and the occasional trumpet spice up the regular rock band instrumentation. Ultimately, to my ears, Of Monsters and Men is a band that makes music that reflects the wide-eyed, the-future-is-ours-as-we-drink-our-coffee-out-of-a-cup-half-full youthful bliss. I, on the other hand, am an old guy who just writes about music and uses too many dashes when doing so. The kids have chops though – and can actually play and sing. Watch and listen below if you don’t believe me.