Pareles likes Of Monsters and Men

TAKE OF THE DAY: “Iceland could be a British isle or a Canadian province for Of Monsters and Men, the Icelandic band that headlined Webster Hall on Friday night. Of Monsters and Men connects two strains of Celtic-rooted music that spur robust, foot-stamping singalongs: the sea chantey and the arena-rock chorus, the folky and the anthemic. Its songs regularly ascend from guitar-strumming, accordion-tootling openings to brawny rock marches topped by la-las for the crowd to join, a strategy also used by Mumford & Sons, the Decemberists, Arcade Fire and, in decades past, the Scottish band Big Country… Their Icelandic side comes through with lyrics (in English) that are steeped in fable and epic. They’re full of sea voyages, mysterious animals, the possibility of disaster and the power of nature and fate… The recent songs get to their anthem side more quickly—less skiffle and accordion, more march beats and trumpet—perhaps responding to larger crowds and clubs. Between songs [Nanna Bryndis] Hilmarsdottir and [Ragnar] Thorhallsson were modest and slightly incredulous at the response. They played an earnest version of the Cure’s “Close to You” as if they were working out the mechanics of arena rock.” — the N.Y. Times’ Jon Pareles, reviewing a performance from the Universal Republic buzz band. (4/9a)