My Head is an Animal review

The debut album of the Icelandic indie folk band Of Monsters and Men. These guys are a bit naff in some ways but really fun, and they've got a lovely chilled-out vibe.

Tracks:

1. Dirty Paws: 8/10 this one tells a rather odd story, but it does so with a lovely instrumental and melancholy, wondrous vibe.

2. King and Lionheart: 9/10 a deeply stirring song filled with great notes, terrific fantasy imagery and gleefully corny sentimentality.

3. Mountain Sound: 8/10 though a little too ambiguous, it's as fun and rousing as ever.

4. Slow and Steady: 7/10 the first one to feel like filler, but perfectly nice all the same.

5. From Finner: 8/10 despite not being particularly well-known, this one packs a lot of punch.

6. Little Talks: 9/10 a fantastic love song which more than lives up to the hype, this one is endlessly catchy and emotionally satisfying.

7. Six Weeks: 8/10 not one of the most well-known ones but still a very enjoyable tune. It's also based on the story that was adapted into the film which finally got Leonardo DiCaprio his Oscar.

8. Love Love Love: 8/10 a triumphant second-half track with a lovely and pleasingly laid-back melody.

9. Your Bones: 7/10 admittedly less memorable than many of the album's other songs, this still delivers the emotion, mysticism and gleeful corniness the band's fans will expect.

10. Sloom: 7/10 this has pretty much everything people love about the album albeit without the energy of the earlier tracks.

11. Lakehouse: 8/10 not as lyrically memorable as some of the others, but still an utterly soaring penultimate track.

12. Yellow Light: 7/10 a slight disappointment but only in comparison to the earlier songs. Still a very nice little tune overall and a reasonable ending to the record.

Best song: Little Talks
Worst song: Sloom

Summary: Don't be fooled by a Metacritic rating of only 66; this is an excellent album. The fact that it's corny, sentimental and occasionally even slightly naff is part of the fun. It's a charming, refreshing and undemanding burst of beautifully played and seriously stirring music, with many awesome mythical lyrics and punch-the-air moments. Little Talks is undoubtedly the best song, but every song is at the very least decent. It has a quirky, soulful and refreshingly indie vibe to it, and I predict a very bright future for this band (Who have a fantastic name as well).



Final rating: 8/10