Sunday, April 3, 2011

Of Monsters & Men - From Finner


This love is for real folks. Here is a band that I instantly fell for, really really hard. It's a little premature considering there are only 4 songs on myspace and only 2 songs for sale, but it was love at first accordion note. It's not a surprise really that I love a band that is similar to Hey Marseilles in sound due to the usuage of a similar orchestral line up, plus Of Monsters & Men is Icelandic and we all know it's hard to dislike a band from there. At this point it's near impossible to remain objective and describe the wonders of this band without getting all muddled and mired in my personal attachment to their songs. So I will tell you the personal side because it's more fun to write about anyway. Listen while you read after the jump.

One rainy Friday night I stumbled across this band as I sipped my whiskey curled up on a couch with my headphones on (also known as the Friday fetal position) and man, oh man, was I instantly in love. I played the songs over and over grasping every detail I could. I've greedily kept this band to myself for months and I'm only now sharing it with you because it's been difficult to describe how much their song "From Finner" means to me.

In 2006, I studied abroad and since then, there hasn't been a year I haven't traveled out of the country. That feeling I first had, living in Prague, was one of invincibility. Being far away from home, friends, and family, in an unfamiliar country with an even more unfamiliar language, yet still managing to be self-sufficient and adapting to life in a new culture gave me an unbelievable awareness of who I was in a world that at the time seemed so big. I've chased that feeling around the globe yet there is still nothing like the first time and that inexplicable euphoric happiness that comes with the best travel adventures. So when I heard the lyrics "We are far from home, all alone, but we're so happy", I sat stunned for a long time letting the song play over and over. It's such a simple line, but it encompassed everything I had felt before and everything that I was currently missing. I don't know if a song has ever hit me like that, and I started singing along eventually jumping up and down, belting out that one line. And that was just the first night I heard the song. Since then I've kept it to myself, holding on tight, because it's just like having my best memories in the form of a song. Now I think I'm ready to share it with you, but I couldn't do it without telling you why this song means so much to me. I hope you are able to derive your own enjoyment and stories from it.

6 comments:

  1. I am studying overseas at the moment and haven't been able to sum up how I feel about myself and the world until reading what you have written here. Great words and great music - thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. i leave for a month-long european adventure in 5 days, and everything you just described is a feeling i have been chasing my whole life. words cannot describe my excitement....these songs are gorgeous and perfect and will be on repeat on my ears the whole plane ride over. thankyou :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. great stuff and indeed great words. amazingly sweet band and great songs. im from germany and have been to a ton of places like california, brazil, peru and more. i know exactly the feeling. and i love it, too! so thanks man, great post and thoughts.

    ReplyDelete
  4. sounds like.... "ohhh home, oohh home, home is wherever i'm with you... HEYY!"

    ReplyDelete
  5. Discovered Of Monsters & Men through you blog.Excellent work! keep it up!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm so happy I stumbled upon this post. I fell head over heels when I heard the lyrics first. It is a very simple song, but it means so much.
    Unfortunately I haven't traveled. But ever since I was little there's been that desire to have my own adventure away from all that I was so used to.
    Don't get me wrong, I love all that is around me, but there is a whole world out there that I know nothing of, although I've been reaching out so hard.
    And when I hear this song, I get kind of sad.
    It's weird, to miss something you've never really had, but i still have hope.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...