Icelandic five-piece band, Of Monsters and Men, unleashed their second album today named Beneath the Skin. Following their highly successful debut album, My Head Is An Animal, the band had a lot to live up to. This successor does not disappoint at all, sounding like a loyal sequel to their first album whilst still bringing something powerfully individual to the table.
Having released four advance tracks on their vevo channel, I was already blown away by the sheer level of quality. These songs are all refreshingly new and hauntingly brilliant, whilst still retaining a strong connection to their past works. Alongside the delightfully unconventional nature of their black and white lyric videos that accompanied these tracks (where a certain star of their video for Crystals looks uncannily similar to one of my lecturers), the sound of Beneath the Skin can be befittingly described as sounding like the harsh, monochromatic nature of this CD's design.
Whilst My Head Is An Animal can be arguably classed as quaint, with a good balance of both energy and tranquillity, Beneath the Skin is unmistakably more bold. A tripping, robust drumbeat lingers under every track which gives the album a great, omnipresent vigour. Because of this, there is something darker cast over the album, adding waves of passion and desperation to the emotion of the music. In-keeping with OMAM's seafaring lyrics, this album is a chaotic storm; the listener sailing on a fragile boat where every vibrating wave forces it to topple from side to side. The lyrics are still beautifully influenced by natural idioms, with motifs like the sea and animalism reappearing dutifully throughout the album.
"You're sailing from another world, sinking in my sea... and I run from wolves tearing into me without teeth." (Wolves Without Teeth)
The sound to this album is far less acoustic, lilting instead between quiet beginnings that are plunged straight into the chorus of powerful rock melodies. It almost feels as if there's something far more urgent and immediate that needs to be communicated, and this all releases itself through the elemental-sounding tracks. There are less Lakehouse and Yellow Light sounding tracks as the summer of My Head Is An Animal transitions into a kind of winter, leaning more towards the momentum of Dirty Paws and King and Lionheart. Although this means there quite a lot of similarity between all the tracks on this album, OMAM still manages to keep them all exciting. I never find myself getting tired or bored of it.
I can't end this review without commenting on how beautiful the actual design of the CD is. The ambiguously crumbling landscape behind the letters on the front accurately capture how much force and charge lies behind the music. I also really like the tribal looking symbols that they've included to represent each track. It again, perfectly reflects the heavy drums and the dark immediacy to this album. I've only had the pleasure to listen to this album for a day but I've already replayed it three times and I still don't feel like I've even scratched the surface. It feels like I could listen to Beneath the Skin for days. So far however, my favourite tracks are Wolves Without Teeth, I Of The Storm and We Sink (though I really can't make up my mind... they are all fantastic).
With concert tickets to see them showcase this new album in November, I'm very much wetting myself with excitement. I cannot wait.
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