Review Summary: I'll be the blood, if you be the bones.
There's something to be said about the constant, uplifting energy that is your typical indie folk album these days. At heart, it's simply a far more acoustic pop effort, replacing your typical pulsating synthesisers with acoustic guitars and the odd 'hey!' every now and then, and Of Monsters and Men's 2011 effort
My Head is an Animal was no different. It wasn't by any means a bad album, and in fact established the group as a massively enjoyable modern pop-folk group, helping them maintain a recognisable identity in a rapidly swarming sea of Mumford and Sons clones. A few years later, the dust has settled, and allowed time for the Icelandic group to put together a sophomore effort. It is perhaps somewhat corny to describe an album as more 'personal' and 'intimate' than previous works; music is, after all, an art form that thrives on the driving force that our emotions are. Rage, tragedy, love and the all consuming nature that is looking back on past experiences and how they ultimately made you grow as a fellow human being all come together. Sometimes this leads to something special. Sometimes the results look a little like this.
As revealing that
Beneath the Skin's title may have you believe, it maintains a quiet modesty for the most part, preferring to take on a more reflective pondering perspective instead of one simply fuelled by angst and misery; nothing here is black and white, and each track is peppered with strange lyrical wanderings regarding the fantastical and forlorn, while instrumentally the album features a far more reserved performance that still allows instrumentalist to shine brilliantly throughout the record. Likewise, the vocal performances are outstanding, with moments throughout the album that bring things to an absolute awe-filled standstill, such as Nanna's introductory croon on 'Slow Life';
"What are they talking about, on the weekends?
Lost in the forest of this heart, is a foreign still."
Like the introductory back and forth vocals of Wolves Without Teeth, much of the album gives the listener the impression of peeking in upon something private, a feeling massively emphasised by vocalists Nanna Hilmarsdottir and Ragnar Porhallsson's combined performances; "Open my chest and colour my spine - I'm giving you all/I'll be the blood, if you'll be the bones - I'm giving you all, I'm giving you all." It all fits together for the band members, all complimenting each other perfectly, and the gulf between
My Head is an Animal and
Beneath the Skin becomes all the more massively obvious. Less of a commercial bombshell and more a labour of love, each track feels like an exploration through the emotions that plague everyone, from the highest point to the loneliest corner. The only element that feels at all out of place is oddly enough the introductory track 'Crystals', feeling like a spare
My Head is an Animal b-side, as opposed to the immediate gripping hold 'Human' brings upon the listener. The existence of this track can't help but be questioned, completely different in tone from the rest of the record, and for all intents and purposes simply shouldn't be here. The opening bars of second track 'Human' are fantastically brilliant at capturing the atmosphere of the album, from its delayed electric guitar melody to Porhallsson's gentle vocals, the track finally comes to a huge climax with a simple but effective guitar solo.
Ultimately, this is an album that makes a massive impact, and Of Monsters and Men's sophomore effort holds its own effortlessly, from the thunderous build from soothing to spectacular that is 'Thousand Eyes', to the beautiful acoustic ballad 'Organs', featuring some of Nanna's most intimate and exposed vocals on the record. From an instrumental point of view, instead of the constant thundering folk-pop
My Head is an Animal encapsulated, guitarist Brynjar Leifsson, bassist Kristjan Kristjansson and drummer Arnar Hilmarsson all play a brilliant part in establishing the record as something more personal and experimental. The animal may have been uncaged on the last record, but this is a far different kind of beast.
"I am the storm.
So wait."
