Of Monsters And Men

2012 release from the Icelandic outfit formed by singer/guitarist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir. Their rapid rise transpired in just one year. Nanna, who began as the acoustic act Songbird, recruited extra hands to bolster her sound for a solo show. She liked how her vocals commingled with guitarist/vocalist Ragnar "Raggi" Þórhallsson's, so they started writing songs together and in 2010 morphed into Of Monsters and Men. As victors of 2010's Músiktilraunir, the new group earned a slot on the influential Iceland Airwaves festival later that year, followed by Seattle's radio station KEXP posting "Little Talks" from a Living Room Session filmed there, setting the telltale ripple effect in motion. Though their reach is growing broader, the group's appeal has remained distinct: Their music is as fantastical as it is pretty.

1. Dirty Paws
2. King and Lionheart
3. Mountain Sound
4. Slow and Steady
5. From Finner
6. Little Talks
7. Six Weeks
8. Love Love Love
9. Your Bones
10. Sloom
11. Lakehouse
12. Yellow Light