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Of Monsters and Men finds global following
By John Benson
When it comes to rock bands that have come out of the Iceland music scene, the list pretty much begins and ends with Bjork and Sigur Ros.
That is, until a few years ago when the unsuspecting indie-folk, indie-pop act Of Monsters and Men garnered national attention with its smash song “Little Talks.” The tune was the lead single on the quintet’s debut album, “My Head Is An Animal.”
“We didn’t think it would be such a popular song when we were back home in Iceland writing it in a little rehearsal space we shared with my dad and his band,” said Of Monsters and Men singer-guitarist Raggi, calling from Copenhagen. “It’s one of those things. It just kind of snowballed.
“We thought it was a really good song, and as it went No. 1 in Iceland, we felt maybe this would work [elsewhere].”
Work it did, selling more than 4 million singles helping the group’s first album go multiplatinum around the globe. In the States, rock and alternative fans gravitated to the group’s wide appeal leading to memorable performances at festivals such as Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Coachella and the Newport Folk Festival, as well as appearances on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and “Saturday Night Live.”
When it came time for Of Monsters and Men to work on its highly-anticipated follow-up effort, the band split time recording in Iceland and Los Angeles with co-producer Rich Costey (Death Cab For Cutie, Muse, Foster The People, Interpol). The result is the recently released “Beneath The Skin,” which includes singles such as the dynamic “Crystals” and the lush “Empire.”
“We had a lot of sing-alongs on the last album, which we really enjoyed playing live, but for this one, we wanted to write more lyrics and melodies,” Raggi said. “I think ‘Beneath The Skin’ is a bit darker and more heavier. It’s more electric and less acoustic.
“It’s definitely the same people doing it, so it’s going to sound somewhat similar, but I think we grew in parts we needed to grow in and we kept parts we needed to keep.”
In regard to any pressures felt by Of Monsters and Men to match or surpass its previous “Little Talks” success, Raggi dismisses the notion. Instead, he said the group is focused on touring, which includes a Wednesday show at Stage AE in Pittsburgh.
As far as the earlier point about Iceland’s small rock scene, it turns out Of Monsters and Men feels as though it’s on the outside looking in.
“There are so few bands that are big all around the world,” Raggi said. “I’d say there’s actually like a club in Iceland for bands that are working in Iceland. There’s a big scene there where everybody knows each other.
“We kind of missed that scene because we went straight from forming the band to going outside of Iceland. So I’d say we missed the chance to join that club.”
Well, considering Of Monsters and Men’s international success, it would appear – whether they like it or not – as though they’re in a bigger club.
“Yeah, maybe,” Raggi said. “It’s cool.”