Category: Monsters Of Folk

Monsters Of Folk – Monsters Of Folk (2009)

posted by record facts

Monsters of Folk was an American supergroup, consisting of Jim James from My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes, Will Johnson from Centro-matic and M. Ward, solo artist and half of She & Him. The band was formed in 2004 when the members were on tour with their respective bands and solo projects. After playing together both on-stage and backstage, they started working together on various material. Due to the members’ main projects, Monsters of Folk did not finish their first album until 2009, and it was released on September 22 on Rough Trade. It debuted at No. 143 on the Billboard 200 and peaked at 15. It also reached No. 3 on Top Independent Albums, No. 8 on Top Rock Albums, No. 7 on Top Digital Albums, and No. 6 on Top Alternative Albums.

Their song “Baby Boomer” was chosen as the Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week for October 27, 2009.

When M. Ward, Mike Mogis, Jim James, and Conor Oberst announced plans to record an album together, fans were quick to link the supergroup to the Traveling Wilburys, who blazed a similar path 20 years earlier. Truth be told, Monsters of Folk’s emphasis on harmony vocals and atmospheric arrangements has just as much in common with the work of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, even if the political concerns that grounded that group are mostly absent here. Instead, the self-titled Monsters of Folk tackles topics like religion, nature, love, and lust, with all four songwriters sharing vocals and songwriting credits. Mogis, who rose to prominence by playing a central but somewhat surreptitious role in Bright Eyes, receives less screen time than the others, preferring instead to stay behind the scenes as producer and sideman. Even so, his guitar solo during “Say Please” is one of the album’s loudest moments, and his production helps draw the album together. That’s important, because there are multiple genres at work here, from trip-hop to rootsy rock to homely, homespun pop. Spread over 15 tracks, the combination wears thin at several points, and a few of the songs feel like solo material as opposed to a composite product. Monsters of Folk has moments on flat-out beauty, though, and when the musicians pitch their voices together — as they do on the gorgeous “Slow Down Jo” — the teamwork really shines through.

 

Track listing

  1. “Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)” – 5:07
  2. “Say Please” – 2:48
  3. “Whole Lotta Losin'” – 2:45
  4. “Temazcal” – 3:49
  5. “The Right Place” – 3:48
  6. “Baby Boomer” – 2:53
  7. “Man Named Truth” – 3:51
  8. “Goodway” – 2:01
  9. “Ahead of the Curve” – 3:40
  10. “Slow Down Jo” – 3:21
  11. “Losin Yo Head” – 4:37
  12. “Magic Marker” – 3:20
  13. “Map of the World” – 4:24
  14. “The Sandman, the Brakeman and Me” – 3:23
  15. “His Master’s Voice” – 4:50

 

Personnel

  • Conor Oberst – vocals, guitar (tracks 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 13, and 15), baritone guitar (track 12), bass guitar (track 1), keyboards (tracks 3, 5, 10, and 11), drums (tracks 6 and 11), percussion (tracks 6 and 10)
  • Mike Mogis – guitar (tracks ), keyboards (tracks 1, 2, 4, 9, and 14), baritone guitar (tracks 3 and 7), percussion (tracks 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, and 14), mandolin (tracks 5, 7, and 8 ), drums (track 12), bass guitar (tracks 10 and 11)
  • Jim James – vocals, guitar (tracks 1, 5, 11, 12, 13 and 15), bass guitar (tracks 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8), keyboards (tracks 1, 3, 5, 11, 12, and 15), drums (tracks 2, 5, 9 and 15), percussion (tracks 3 and 13), programming (tracks 1 and 3)
  • M. Ward – vocals, guitar (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, and 14), bass guitar (tracks 2, 5, and 12), keyboards (tracks 3, 9, 11, 12, 13, and 15)

Companies, etc.

Credits

Notes
Released: September 22, 2009
Recorded at: Studio Shangri-La Studio (Malibu, California) / ARC (Omaha, Nebraska)
Genre: Alternative rock, indie folk
Length: 54:37

Label – Shangri-La Music, Rough Trade