Of Monsters and Men
Of Monsters and Men is an Icelandic[7] indie folk/rock band formed in Garðabær in 2010.[8] It consists of lead singer and guitarist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, singer and guitarist Ragnar "Raggi" Þórhallsson, lead guitarist Brynjar Leifsson, drummer Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson, and bassist Kristján Páll Kristjánsson.[9][10] The band won the Músíktilraunir in 2010, an annual Battle of the Bands in Iceland.[11] In 2011, Of Monsters and Men released an EP titled Into the Woods. Their 2011 debut album, My Head Is an Animal, reached the No.1 position in Australia, Iceland, and Ireland, as well as on the US Rock and Alternative charts, while peaking at No. 6 on the US Billboard 200 album chart, No. 3 in the UK, and top 20 of most European and Canadian charts. Its lead single, "Little Talks", was an international success, reaching the top 10 in most music charts in Europe, including No. 1 in Ireland and Iceland, and No. 1 on US Alternative Songs.
"OMAM" redirects here. For the military airport in the United Arab Emirates with ICAO code OMAM, see Al Dhafra Air Base.
Of Monsters and Men
Garðabær, Iceland
2010–present
- Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir
- Ragnar Þórhallsson
- Brynjar Leifsson
- Kristján Páll Kristjánsson
- Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson
- Árni Guðjónsson
Of Monsters and Men won the 2013 European Border Breakers Awards.
History[edit]
2009–2010: Formation and early work[edit]
The band was formed in 2009, when Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir decided to add additional members to her solo project, Songbird. Of Monsters and Men entered 2010's Músíktilraunir, an annual music competition held in Iceland, as a quartet, with Nanna (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Brynjar (electric guitar), Raggi (backing vocals, melodica, glockenspiel), and Arnar (backing vocals, melodica, glockenspiel, tambourine). Raggi came up with the band name.[12]
Following Músiktilraunir, the quartet added two more members, Árni (accordion/keys, backing vocals) and Kristján (bass, backing vocals), and continued to tour in Iceland and work on new songs.[13] They were invited to perform at the 2010 Iceland Airwaves festival, and it was there that the Seattle-based radio station KEXP recorded them performing "Little Talks", from a living-room session.[14]
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