According to Rolling Stone, not only do Of Monsters and Men “make whimsical sound tough,” but they also “put muscle behind their prettiness, turning songs from cute to grand.” And when the Icelandic six-piece came to Brooklyn to have their show streamed live from Music Hall of Williamsburg last spring, vocalists Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar Þórhallsson hit the venue’s roof to do a quiet, acoustic take on “Love Love Love” exclusively for The Bowery Presents Live channel on YouTube.
It’s a big week for Of Monsters and Men. Their first LP, My Head Is an Animal, just came out in the US on Tuesday, and tonight the Icelandic a six-piece celebrates that, streaming live from Music Hall of Williamsburg on The Bowery Presents Live. Check them out, above, playing the infectiously catchy “Little Talks” for KEXP FM, and then find yourself singing along tonight, beginning at 10 p.m.
Of Monsters of Men play two sold-out New York City shows this week—on Thursday at Music Hall of Williamsburg and on Friday at Webster Hall. Thursday’s show will stream live on The Bowery Presents Live. But if you don’t already have tickets and still want to go, try to Grow a Pair from The House List. It’s easy. Just fill out the form below, making sure to include your full name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Of Monsters and Men, 4/5) and a brief message explaining the virtues of Icelandic rock. Eddie Bruiser, an open-minded sort, will notify the winner by Friday. Good luck.
Of Monsters and Men, a six-piece chamber-pop band out of Reykjavík, Iceland, began in 2009 when singer-guitarist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir wanted to turn a solo project into something bigger. With the addition of three other members, the group won Músíktilraunir, Iceland’s battle-of-the-bands contest, in 2010. But Of Monsters and Men continued to grow in sound and size—expanding from a quartet to a sextet and earning favorable comparisons to Arcade Fire from the likes of Rolling Stone. The band’s first LP, My Head Is an Animal, came out in Iceland last year and will be released here next Tuesday. And two days later, Of Monsters and Men will become the third band to stream live on The Bowery Presents Live when they play Music Hall of Williamsburg on 4/5.
