It was about time for a supergroup. Indie rock fans have been waiting for the debut of the supergroup Monsters of Folk, featuring the sounds of M. Ward, Jim James of My Morning Jacket also known as Yim Yames in his solo works and on this album. The line up is completed with Bright Eyes’ sing-songwriter Conor Oberst and his longtime producer and multi-instrumentalist band mate Mike Mogis.
The Traveling Wilburys have passed the torch to this generation’s masters of easy-melodies and lyrical symbolism. The members of Monsters of Folk initially played together on the small east coast tour “An Evening with: Bright Eyes, Jim James and M. Ward” in 2004.
After all having further personal successes, this group of headliners got together to create their self-titled album, released Sept. 22.
The album expands far beyond folk, making these indie bigs into the Monsters of blues, easy rock, even country, with each member bringing some shining pieces of his music pedigree to add to the mix.
Oberst sings one of the key tracks, “Temazcal.” The song keeps a slow and steady beat that pushes through the lyrics, written in typical Oberst style with displacement, abuse and desire fueling the gloomy pulse of the music.
To lighten the mood, Jim James brings a touch of the psychedelic, ethereal feel he is best known for in tracks like “His Master’s Voice,” then shooting to the other side of the tracks to country with “The Right Place,” bringing in steel guitar and an upbeat piano you would find in a saloon with spittoons. This twangy tune tells of the mindset of poacher who finds that despite the general shame associated with his work, he’s comfortable with who and where he is in life.
The easy feel and dreamy sound press on with M. Ward’s “The Sandman, The Brakeman and Me.” Acoustic guitar and reverb vocals putting the character of the song to sleep as he waits for the The Sandman and the movements of the train to put him to sleep on his long ride.
Oberst, Ward and James each take up the lead vocals on five songs, using their styles that paved their road to the top. Mogis leaves the use of the mike to the others but his skill is heard throughout the album.
With over twelve years of appearing on albums for bands such as Bright Eyes, The Faint, Cursive and Rilo Kiley, Mogis’ hands work wonders not only on a wide range of instruments but also behind the scenes, using his experience as a producer to give this album a distant and familiar feel.
The band starts an almost two month tour of the major cities of Canada and the U.S. Oct. 13 before heading across the pond to Sweden for their European tour Nov. 12. The band is also rumored to tour in Australia this coming summer.
Proceeds from a majority of the shows will go to the members’ favorite charities, proving that this project is primarily an artistic venture and not a search for a new market to bring in revenue.
Hopefully, this will not be the end and Monsters of Folk will go on to be more than an experiment and keep bringing their refined and fluid sounds to public for years to come.