Universal Republic
Indie Rock, 2011

Of Monsters and Men have an adorable reason to come up with a quirky and eccentric debut effort like My Head Is an Animal – they’re from Iceland,  which means they’re practically neighbors of Aqua. Okay, they are nowhere as cringe-inducing as the Norwegian trashy pop group Aqua can be, but this indie rock effort would be more at home in Eurovision than you’d think. Not that this is a bad thing.

Their lead single Little Talks is catchy, crazy, and utterly indecipherable in a way that would make Roxette proud. Slow and Steady is a sanguine little track that is all about waterfalls or something. And then, Of Monsters and Men decide to mix things up by sounding like they are making the anthem for a new Once Upon a Time in China movie with Your Bones. Numb Bears is a marching band anthem on speed. Everything is so cute and weird here while still keeping one foot on radio-friendly ground, and it’s so cute.

I’m not sure what animal they are talking about, but there’s no doubt that My Head Is an Animal is a very fun change from the norm. It’s so wacky, it could only be something some folks from Europe can come up with. Cheers!