Of Monsters and Men's 2012 full-length debut, My Head Is an Animal, features more of the Icelandic band's acoustic-driven alt-rock featured on their 2011 EP Into the Woods.
Showcasing the dual singer/guitarist/songwriters Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar “Raggi” Pórhallsson, the album also displays the six-piece ensemble's grand and anthemic style with a bent toward passionate folk-rock uplift and more layered, introspective moments.
In that sense, the band brings to mind the work of such similarly inclined contemporaries as Arcade Fire, Angus & Julia Stone, and Mumford & Sons.
While such cuts as the peppy, horn-driven "Little Talks," "Six Weeks," "Love Love Love," and "From Finner" are carryovers from Into the Woods, elsewhere we get the cinematic build of "King and Lionheart," the catchy, Florence + the Machine-sounding singalong "Mountain Sound," and the reverb-laden "Lakehouse." There's even the very '60s Celtic folk-meets-Ennio Morricone number "Your Bones." Thoughtfully crafted and full of melancholic lyricism and quietly desperate romanticism, My Head Is an Animal should appeal to any fan -- whether man or monster -- of sweet and wide-eyed folk-rock.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dirty PawsOf Monsters and Men | Of Monsters and Men | Play | 04:26 | 10 MB | 26 MB |
| 2 | King and LionheartOf Monsters and Men | Of Monsters and Men | Play | 04:35 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 3 | From FinnerOf Monsters and Men | Of Monsters and Men | Play | 03:41 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 4 | Little TalksOf Monsters and Men | Of Monsters and Men | Play | 04:24 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 5 | Six WeeksOf Monsters and Men | Of Monsters and Men | Play | 05:31 | 12 MB | 36 MB |
| 6 | Love Love LoveOf Monsters and Men | Of Monsters and Men | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 20 MB |
| 7 | Your BonesOf Monsters and Men | Of Monsters and Men | Play | 04:07 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 8 | SloomOf Monsters and Men | Of Monsters and Men | Play | 04:42 | 10 MB | 26 MB |
| 9 | LakehouseOf Monsters and Men | Of Monsters and Men | Play | 05:42 | 13 MB | 35 MB |
| 10 | Numb Bears | Of Monsters And Men | Play | 02:45 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 11 | Yellow Light; Sinking Man | Of Monsters And Men | Play | 15:44 | 36 MB | 54 MB |
| 59 mins | 137 MB | |||||
| 59 mins | 326 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ben Adelson | A&R |
| 2 | Aron Pór Arnarsson | Engineer, Producer |
| 3 | Greg Calbi | Mastering |
| 4 | Ragnhildur Gunnarsdóttir | Trumpet |
| 5 | Árni Guðjónsson | Accordion, Group Member, Organ, Piano |
| 6 | Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir | Group Member, Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals |
| 7 | Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson | Artwork, Design, Drums, Group Member, Percussion |
| 8 | Bragi Kårason | Trumpet |
| 9 | Maureen Kenny | A&R |
| 10 | Jacquire King | Additional Production, Producer |
| 11 | Heather Kolker | Management |
| 12 | Kristján Páll Kristjánsson | Bass, Group Member |
| 13 | Brynjar Leifsson | Group Member, Guitar (Baritone), Guitar (Electric) |
| 14 | Of Monsters and Men | Composer, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 15 | Ragnar Pórhallsson | Artwork, Design, Group Member, Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals |
| 16 | Craig Silvey | Mixing |
| 17 | Bergrún Snæbjörnsdóttir | French Horn |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |