My Head Is an Animal
2011 studio album by Of Monsters and Men
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My Head Is an Animal is the debut studio album by the Icelandic indie rock band Of Monsters and Men,[2] released through Record Records in Iceland on 20 September 2011. After their success, topping the Icelandic charts with their debut single, "Little Talks", the band signed with Universal Music Group and the album was released internationally through Republic Records on 3 April 2012. The title of the album comes from the second line in "Dirty Paws".
9–25 January 2012
| My Head Is an Animal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 20 September 2011 (In Iceland) | |||
| Recorded | 26–28 March 2011; 9–25 January 2012 | |||
| Studio | Studio Syrland, Vatnagarðar, Reykjavík[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 59:38 | |||
| Label | Record, Republic | |||
| Producer | Of Monsters and Men, Aron Arnarsson, Jacquire King | |||
| Of Monsters and Men chronology | ||||
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| Icelandic release | ||||
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| Singles from My Head Is an Animal | ||||
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Cover art
The front of the international release is a photograph that Brynjar's grandfather took of his friend. The original was black and white; Arnar Hilmarsson added the coloring. The back is a family photograph that Ragnar found in his family pictures.[3]
The pictures on the front and back of the Icelandic release depict men dressed for the Icelandic national sport of Glima.
Release and promotion
Singles
"Little Talks" was released as the debut single by the band, and the lead single from My Head Is an Animal on 20 December 2011,[4] after it had been released as a promo to radio stations in the US and Europe in July 2011.[5] The single propelled the band to nationwide popularity in the US, and has so far sold a million copies there.[6] The success of the single in the US led to the band's signing with Universal Music Group, and the single, along with a revised version of My Head Is an Animal was released in North America on 3 April 2012.[7] The music video for the song debuted in February 2012.
"Dirty Paws" served as the second single from My Head Is an Animal in the UK and Ireland. It was released on 12 April 2012, in the lead up to the album's re-release in Europe. A promotional single followed in June.[8]
"Six Weeks" was released as a promotional single from the album in the UK and Ireland. It was released as a digital download on 27 August 2012.[9]
"Mountain Sound" was released in the US as the second single from the album, and the fourth overall. Seeing a release worldwide as the follow-up to "Little Talks" as well, it was released on 2 September 2012.[10] A music video to accompany the single was released on 24 September.
Reception
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 66/100[11] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [12] |
| Beats Per Minute | 81%[13] |
| Paste | [14] |
| Rolling Stone | [15] |
| Sputnikmusic | [16] |
The album received positive reviews from music critics. On Metacritic it currently holds a rating of 66/100, signifying generally favourable reviews.[17]
Commercial performance
The album debuted in the United States at number six on the Billboard 200, selling 55,000 units in its first week alone.[18] This marked the best chart performance for an Icelandic musical artist in U.S. history.[18][19] The previous chart record was held by Björk's Volta, which peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200 in 2009.[18] In January 2014, the band announced via Facebook that the album had achieved platinum certification in the United States.[20] As of June 2015, the album has sold 1.1 million copies in the US.[21]
Track listing
All songs are credited to Of Monsters and Men, but were actually written by the band's individuals and/or others. The actual writers are listed alongside the tracks.[22]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dirty Paws" | Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, Ragnar Þórhallsson | 4:26 |
| 2. | "King and Lionheart" | Nanna | 4:35 |
| 3. | "Numb Bears" | Ragnar, Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson | 2:45 |
| 4. | "Sloom" | Nanna, Ragnar, Arnar | 4:42 |
| 5. | "Little Talks" | Nanna, Ragnar | 4:24 |
| 6. | "From Finner" | Nanna, Ragnar, Arnar, Brynjar Leifsson | 3:41 |
| 7. | "Six Weeks" | Ragnar, Arnar | 5:32 |
| 8. | "Love Love Love" | Nanna | 4:02 |
| 9. | "Your Bones" | Ragnar | 4:07 |
| 10. | "Lakehouse" | Nanna, Ragnar, Brynjar | 5:42 |
| 11. | "Yellow Light" (ends at 4:52; hidden song "Sinking Man" starts at 13:04) | Ragnar | 15:45 |
| Total length: | 59:38 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dirty Paws" | 4:38 | |
| 2. | "King and Lionheart" | 4:33 | |
| 3. | "Mountain Sound" | Nanna, Ragnar, Arnar | 3:35 |
| 4. | "Slow and Steady" | Nanna, Ragnar, Arnar, Brynjar, Árni Guðjónsson, Kristján Páll Kristjánsson | 5:01 |
| 5. | "From Finner" | 3:43 | |
| 6. | "Little Talks" | 4:26 | |
| 7. | "Six Weeks" | 5:34 | |
| 8. | "Love Love Love" | 3:58 | |
| 9. | "Your Bones" | 4:09 | |
| 10. | "Sloom" | 4:43 | |
| 11. | "Lakehouse" | 4:35 | |
| 12. | "Yellow Light" | 4:52 | |
| Total length: | 53:47 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Numb Bears" | 2:44 |
| 14. | "Little Talks" (music video) | 4:11 |
| Total length: | 60:42 | |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dirty Paws" | 4:38 | |
| 2. | "King and Lionheart" (2011 Iceland release version) | 4:44 | |
| 3. | "Numb Bears" (2011 Iceland release version) | 2:45 | |
| 4. | "Sloom" | 4:44 | |
| 5. | "Little Talks" | 4:26 | |
| 6. | "From Finner" | 3:42 | |
| 7. | "Six Weeks" | 5:32 | |
| 8. | "Love Love Love" | 3:57 | |
| 9. | "Your Bones" | 4:07 | |
| 10. | "Lakehouse" (2011 Iceland release version) | 5:56 | |
| 11. | "Yellow Light" | 4:53 | |
| 12. | "Sinking Man" (2011 Iceland release version) | Nanna, Ragnar | 2:49 |
| 13. | "Phantom" | Nanna, Ragnar | 4:42 |
| 14. | "Sugar in a Bowl" | Nanna, Ragnar | 2:48 |
| Total length: | 59:50 | ||
Personnel
|
Of Monsters and Men
Additional musicians
|
Production (Icelandic release) |
Production (US release)
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Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
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Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[64] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[65] | Platinum | 40,000‡ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[66] | 2× Platinum | 160,000^ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[67] | Gold | 10,000‡ |
| Germany (BVMI)[68] | Platinum | 200,000‡ |
| Iceland | — | 27,000[69] |
| Ireland (IRMA)[70] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| Italy (FIMI)[71] | Gold | 25,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[72] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[73] | Platinum | 270,347[74] |
| United States (RIAA)[75] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000[21] |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||