Our edit. Credit for original photo goes to David Gallardo.
Congratulations to Of Monsters and Men for reaching 2 million likes on Facebook!
Our edit. Credit for original photo goes to David Gallardo.
1 Comment
While we wait patiently for OMAM’s highly anticipated second album, we’ll continue to periodically look back at their origins and previous work. Here’s a translation of one of the first OMAM interviews (maybe even the very first interview). Arnar Eggert Thoroddsen, music journalist with Morgunblaðið, interviewed Nanna after OMAM won Músíktilraunir in March 2010. The title of the article is clearly a reference to the three songs the played on the final night: Love Love Love, Phantom, and Sugar in a Bowl.
LOVE, GHOSTS, AND SUGAR IN A BOWL By Arnar Eggert Thoroddsen The newly formed band Of Monsters and Man came away victorious in the Músíktilraunir competition, which concluded last Saturday. “We didn't expect this at all” says the band leader, Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, when asked that inevitable beauty queen question [referring to the fact that beauty contest winners are often asked “did you expect to win”]. “I didn’t expect this at all. The guys thought that we might make it into third place. Our expectations were maybe influenced by the fact that heavy rock groups have usually won. Also, we didn’t participate with the goal of winning. It was all rather coincidental.” Nanna says that she entered the band into the competition at the last minute, and the name of band changed several times during the process. Nanna is no newcomer to music, and has performed alone with an acoustic guitar for several years. For awhile she performed under the name Songbird. She decided to broaden her sound after experimenting with recording songs at home. Therefore, she added the three boys, starting with Brynjar, the electric guitar player. Ragnar and Arnar joined later, but they play the glockenspiel, percussion, and more. When asked about influences, Nanna points to Bon Iver, Shins, and Mumford and Sons, who have been increasingly influential lately. Of Icelandic acts, she names múm and Seabear. “We’re into the “folky” type of music” she says, smiling. The smile turns into laughter when she’s told that their music has been called Juno-music, referring to the popular movie and the music therein. “Yes, nice! That’s great”, she says, laughing. One thing that caught people’s attention during Músíktilraunir was how confident Nanna was on stage, but she says that was an illusion. “Before the semi-final, I was so worried I was dying. I had nightmares and was sick to my stomach for days. I was also stressed out before the final night – mainly over not feeling stressed enough!” The stage setup also caught people’s attention, because two of the band members sat at a coffee table. "The thought behind that was mainly to create a cozy atmosphere. Like you’re in your living room” Nanna says. Record company sharks are not yet swimming outside Nanna’s door, and she is staying cool and calm. “Nevertheless, we are definitely going to take advantage of the opportunity” she says without hesitation. “We are going to make something good come out of this, and we will work hard. We are determined, and of course we plan to make an album.” Credit: Morgunblaðið. Source Salka Sól Eyfeld and Steinunn Jónsdóttir from the Icelandic band AmabAdamA cover “Little Talks” on Icelandic television.
In March 2012, visir.is published a story on OMAM’s upcoming North American tour and the release of My Head is an Animal. The focus of the story was largely on the fact that most of the shows were sold out already, much to the band’s surprise. The print version of visir.is, Fréttablaðið, also published the story, but included additional material that was not on the website. We scanned that part of the article and translated it (see below).
According to this report, OMAM recorded 5 additional songs in the studio that have not yet been released, including 3 originals. Our guess is that two of the originals are probably “Beneath My Bed” and “Phantom”. From Fréttablaðið, March 2012: "The album "My Head is an Animal" will be released in the USA and Canada on April 3rd. Like Fréttablaðið has reported previously, additional production was completed in studio Sýrland by Jacquire King, who has worked with Kings of Leon, among others. Two new songs have been added: Slow and Steady and Mountain Song [sic]. The recording sessions lasted for three weeks, and shortly afterwards the band went back into the studio and recorded five additional songs that will be saved for later. The five songs included two cover songs, Close to Me by the Cure, and Skeletons by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, as well as three songs that didn’t make it onto My Head is an Animal." Source Happy Birthday, Kiddi!
Thank you to those who contributed to the video! Congratulations to Of Monsters and Men for getting the “Million-Air” award from BMI. Awesome!
Here’s the announcement from the BMI website: "Phil Graham, Broadcast Music, Inc. Senior Vice President of Writer/Publisher Relations, presented the indie folk-rock band Of Monsters and Men with a Million-Air award for one million performances of their hit debut single “Little Talks,” which scored the group a top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The Icelanders took a break from recording their next album, a follow up to their 2011 breakout studio album, My Head Is An Animal, to celebrate the impressive accomplishment.” http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/of_monsters_and_men_receive_bmi_million_air_award_for_little_talks |