Earlier this year the Icelandic airline WOW air announced that they would be offering tickets for as low as $99 on one-way flights between DC and Iceland. Since we live in DC[1], my wife and I immediately began planning our long weekend getaway to Iceland. There were many reasons for our desire to visit the volcanic island in the North Atlantic, but, at the time, the fact that Iceland is the homeland Of Monsters and Men wasn’t one of them. I had been a casual fan of the folk-rock band’s 2011 album My Head Is An Animal, and until planning our trip, I hadn’t given much thought to the goings-on of the band. Exploring Iceland online uncovered the upcoming release of Beneath the Skin. Although our trip to Iceland fell through for the time being[2], my interest in Of Monsters and Men has once again been piqued. Besides the music, my rediscovery of Of Monsters and Men reminded me of my now abandoned pursuit of hipster quintessentiallism[3].
In 2013 I saw Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers, and The Lumineers in concert – the hipster trifecta at the time. That year, I was riding high on a bushy beard, craft beer, and banjo music driven high in which I saw the respect in the eyes of other hipsters as I perused the kale aisle at the local, organic farmer’s market. Like all good things, those heady days didn’t last. Since 2013, Mumford & Sons have been drug back down to earth by those who were previously their fans; The Avett Brothers have plateaued in the pop culture landscape; and The Lumineers are bogged down in a lawsuit. The hipster is dead, at least according to this article from Mashable. But I refuse to go down without a fight, and in 2015 I’m dedicated to reestablishing myself as a hipster de rigueur by reviewing Beneath the Skin, the latest album from Of Monsters and Men. At least that was my initial reason for hastily emailing my editors in hopes that none of my co-writers had beaten me to the punch in asking for this assignment. Upon receiving the album, however, my selfish and non-ironic-though-unintentionally-irony-laden maneuverings were overwhelmed by Of Monsters and Men’s beautifully constructed album.
Much of the contemptuous scorn earned by hipster folk-rock bands rides the over-earnest wave of too much crammed into too little. Not so with the latest offering from Of Monsters and Men. Although I’ve never been to Iceland, Beneath the Skin reflects the bare vividness that I imagine the island’s beauty holds. And, like my imagination of my future island get-away, the album manages to preserve a lushness that weaves its way through the bareness that creates a layered musical landscape prompting as much awe in its beauty as it does in its starkness without sacrificing the earnestness that folk-rock bands peddle best.
Of Monsters and Men is able to accomplish this musical hat trick by having a veritable orchestra playing alongside the band’s trad folk-rock instruments. And not the bloated, out-of-place orchestra that metal bands are fond of fighting with while pretending to be classy. No the orchestra utilized on Beneath the Skin, and, to be honest, it’s not an orchestra but orchestral instruments and arrangements, is wonderfully understated and utilized to maximum effect without overshadowing the fact that Beneath the Skin is a rock record. In terms of this album’s ability to create the desire to sink down into the lush music, only The Lone Bellow’s Then Came the Morning gives Of Monsters and Men any competition so far in 2015.
The main weakness of hipster bands, and, yes, Of Monsters and Men is a hipster band, is usually the lyrics. For example, Mumford & Sons has perfected the non-sequitur of the non-sequitur; I doubt even Marcus Mumford could interpret his lyrics. But, that’s fine, not good, just fine, because we don’t listen to hipster music for the same reasons that we listen to Bob Dylan or PJ Harvey. We listen to hipster music for the affecting response the entire package prompts in us. But – and this is an important “but” as I transition out of snideness to bona fide appreciation – Of Monsters and Men know how to pen thought-provoking lyrics, and not “thought-provoking” in the “why would anyone string those words together in that order?” way. On one of my favorite songs on the album, “Crystals,” the unrestrained wonder at navigating life, pain and all, is felt as Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir’s rich alto confesses, “Lost in skies of powdered gold/ Caught in clouds of silver ropes/ Showered by empty hopes/ As I tumble down/ Falling fast to the ground.”
As impressive as the lyrics are, I want to circle back to the music. Beneath the Skin is an album built on the back of music that not only stands up to repeat listens, but deepens with repeat listens. So far in 2015, I’ve evaluated over fifty albums, and there are currently less than five that will remain in my oft-played list in the years to come; Beneath the Skin is an album that I will be listening to years from now.
Rating: 4.5/5
http://www.ofmonstersandmen.com/
[1] We actually live in Arlington, but the Lincoln Memorial is less than two miles from our apartment. So, I mean, we live in DC.
[2] I was never actually able to find any $99 tickets, and, as of this writing, WOW air, while the cheapest airline, is selling roundtrip tickets between BWI and Reykjavík for just under $1,000.
[3] I don’t usually feel compelled to justify my made-up words, but, for some reason, “quintessentialism” looks more made-up than most. That being said, I don’t really have any justification other than I don’t want to change it.