King and Lionheart by Of Monsters and Men

I can guarantee you that this will not be the last time you will see Of Monsters and Men on Heartstring and Melody. In a matter of hours, I have fallen in love with nearly every song they have ever released. This is partly due to the fact that they are from Iceland and the Icelandic culture produces some amazing musicians (think Bjork, and Sigur Ros) and their particular sound is incredible to me. A quick fact about the Icelandic culture; according to the OECD Better Life Index, "Icelanders are known for their deep sense of community: an OECD survey found that 98% believe they know someone they could rely on in a time of need, higher than in any other industrialized country. Similarly, only 6% reported "rarely" or "never" socializing with others. This high level of social cohesion is attributed to the small size and homogeneity of the population, as well as to a long history of harsh survival in an isolated environment, which reinforced the importance of unity and cooperation." hmm just let that sink in for a second. I believe that this deeply rooted sense of community adds an extra layer of beauty to their artistic expressions and this song and its following music video would be the epitome of all of that. King and Lionheart as a song by itself is incredible; the melody is clear and fulfilling, it's well written and produced, and the message of bravery in the face of fear is filled with depth (food for the soul), but when you throw in the music video.. WOW! The music video is an experience that points to that beauty found in a sense of community that I was talking about earlier. There is so much depth in the video that you might have to watch it twice to understand it. For example, What are those glowing animals? Are they actual creatures? A representation of the Human spirit? Why are those men chasing this family of two? Do the men represent the evil in our soul and the light animals the good? why is a machine (a man made entity) able to destroy the animal (which seems to be magical in nature)? Is that pointing to man's dominion over the natural world (whether for good or for evil)? SO. MUCH. DEPTH. Now some may be wondering, why ask all of those questions? whats the point? and to that I would say, all you have to do is simply look at your life. You will quickly realize that your life (and life in general), is much more than what meets the eye. Life is spirit and body. Soul and Mind. Life is all questions and very few answers. Some see that and choose to ignore it, but others, a very few individuals, choose not only to embrace that, but also to express that in art and in music. Of Monsters and Men is a collection of those individuals. Listen, Enjoy, and Share if you wish!
 
  P.S. here is a video of them performing the song live!