Of Monsters and Men just had to celebrate when I saw them last month (back on Tuesday April 3rd), as it was their first album release show, their first show in here in and it was the first of two sellout shows at the TLA. None of which are small feats for this six piece Icelandic band. The band came out, lead by co-singers Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar “Raggi” Þórhallsson, and they seemed nervous, not knowing how to deal with the packed theatre. But quickly myself and the other attendees were reassured as to why this band won the Músíktilraunir (Icelandic Battle of the Bands) held every year in Reykjavík. More than half of the set was completely filled with new songs, from an album that happened to have been released that day. But thanks to NPR’s First Listen series and the internets, nearly every song they played was melodically chanted along with by the crowd, some with more tonal delight than others.
