FEVER DREAM

Best known for 2011’s “Little Talks,” the Icelandic band steps away from the folksy anthems and aims for a bigger sound (and audience) on its third album, *FEVER DREAM*. “Wake me up!/I’m fever dreaming,” co-lead singer Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir belts out as a spirited call to action on the pulsing opening track “Alligator,” while atmospheric cuts like “Vulture, Vulture” and “Róróró” serve a healthy dose of dreamy synths and drum loops that evoke wide-open landscapes. For fans of the five-piece’s indie-folk beginnings, the lovelorn sing-alongs “Sleepwalker” and “Stuck in Gravity” bridge the eras of their sound, channeling the delicate harmonies and light drum taps from their 2011 debut *My Head Is an Animal*. “Wild Roses” unpacks their sadness with a pop-oriented groove, layering the tribulations of slow healing from painful circumstances over nimble electronic beats and steady synths.

‘Fever Dream’ is perfectly listenable, but is missing the magic spark that made the Icelandic band a smash success when they first emerged

A bit limp.

The Icelandic five-piece’s third album is unlikely to eclipse their biggest hit, but it is perfectly affable

Fever Dream is the third studio album from Icelandic folk pop band Of Monsters and Men. They never seem to shy away from buoyant sounds and...

Of Monsters and Men's third album ‘Fever Dream’ lives up to its name, as it’s a delirious and ambiguous collection of songs that

The album streamlines the band’s roughhewn sound into a waxy, bland pop.

With their first two LPs—2011's My Head Is an Animal and 2015's Beneath the Skin–Icelandic troupe Of Monsters and Men mixed indie folk, chamber pop,...

Of Monsters and Men - Fever Dream review: You think you know me, but do you really?