Very exciting concert news today, at least as far as I'm concerned, as Stateside announced that Of Monsters and Men are coming to the Rialto on May 31st. Tied possibly with Tanlines and Fred Hammond, I've probably listened to the debut from Of Monsters and Men as much as any album this year, so much that I wrote a very excitable blurb about the band in the March/April issue of Relevant Magazine.

You're going to love Iceland's Of Monsters and Men. Remember how you felt about the first Bon Iver record? Remember how you flipped out when you first heard Mumford and Sons? Maybe you’ve sung along loudly to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros' “Home”? That’s how you’re going to feel about Of Monsters and Men’s debut album My Head is an Animal.

It’s not that they sound specifically like any of those groups, but they exist in a similar emotional indie folk space as those bands. What makes their music memorable is that there’s an undercurrent of joy in their male/female vocal leads, a sweetness mixed in with a wistfulness that exists in the simplicity of their melodies and instrumentation. There’s something about hearing their music like it’s a handwritten note attached to a descending balloon. It might not matter where they came from, since there’s enough to unpack in the emotions of the album on its own. Since they're from Iceland, you might have some trouble remembering the band member's names, but their music is so memorable, emotionally resonant and likable, you'll feel like the group invited you to a campfire...assuming they do that sort of thing where they're from.

Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 am and range from $22 to $29.