Little Talks Cause Storms on the Airwaves

So, I just found out a day ago that a show by an Icelandic (that’s right, Icelandic) band that I have really gotten into over the last half year has sold out at the KoolHaus in downtown Toronto. It’s kind of bummed me out considering it’s a band I’ve really wanted to see since I’ve discovered them. In all fairness I only found out about the show a week ago so I sort of blame myself for not keeping track of when such amazing acts might be passing through town. They are mostly well known for their popular song that I’m sure everyone has heard at least once on the radio over the summer. The band I’m talking about if you haven’t guessed it yet (has anything famous ever come out of Iceland before?) are called ‘Of Monsters and Men’.

I’m not even sure how to go about describing their style of music. The song that I’m going to cover is sort of their odd song because it is a representation of their style but at the same time it’s not. The best way I can describe their music is folk. I never really thought much of folk styled music and never thought I really would but these guys have completely turned my opinion of it around. The song that I’ve picked is called ‘Little Talks’. It is nothing short of a sing along anthem. Songs tend to sound redundant if you pick a very commonly used chord progression like this song uses. However, this is probably the most wonderful utilization of this chord progression ever. The addition of the accordion and trumpet really make the song explode with energy and the steady beat on that kick drum will have one tapping their foot throughout the entire song. As I said earlier this song in particular does not really reflect their style as a whole. Other songs I would suggest to check out are ‘Dirty Paws’ and ‘Mountain Sound’. These songs are put together so well and they showcase a more folk driven sound. Lastly, the singers in this band are phenomenal; two voices that complement the other perfectly.

To play this song on the guitar using open chords you will need a capo and place it on the first fret. If you don’t have a capo, you can still play it using barre chords shifted up a fret from where you would have played them as if they were open chords. The chord progression for practically the whole song is A#m, F#, C# and G#. The verse drops the G# out and instead the C# is held for a longer count. That is all there really is to it for the guitar. I’ll aim for putting up the next post by the coming Tuesday so please check back then! Oh, and to anyone actually going to this concert I envy you so much.