Iceland review - 2012, Qupperneq 27

ICELAND REVIEW 25
Two weeks after Of Monsters And Men’s first record,
My Head Is An Animal, came out in North America on
the Universal label, it was the number-one top-selling
rock album in America, the number-one alternative
album, and number six on the Billboard 200 list. That is a greater
achievement than any other Icelandic artist or band has ever
reached.
The indie folk/pop sextet hails from Garðabær, a small town
close to Reykjavík, the 2010 winners of Músíktilraunir, an annual
battle of amateur bands in the Republic.
All the band members are just over twenty years old. They are
Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, Ragnar Þórhallsson, who both sing
and play the guitar, Brynjar Leifsson, on guitar, Arnar Rósenkranz
Hilmarsson, drums, Árni Guðjónsson, piano, and Kristján Páll
Kristjánsson on bass.
“Our first tour in North America, in March and April, was
out of this world,” Nanna Bryndís told our photographer as he
captured them on film during their very brief stopover in their
home country. “All the concerts were sold out, and the audience
knew our songs; that was a big surprise. But the food was not that
good… or wholesome.” Ragnar continued: “We were constantly
on the road from one place to another, in our tour bus, so we kind
of heard about the great success of the album in the news from
back home. The band is getting better, the sound is tighter. This has
become our day job, and we will be touring in Europe and North
America for the next couple of months.” 
By PÁll StefÁnSSon Photo By PÁll KjartanSSon
LittLe taLks
with the sextet
Of Monsters and Men
is the latest and greatest
music export from Iceland.