Monsters Of Folk - Monsters Of Folk

[copied from Pop Apocalypse]
I thought Monsters of Folk would be a sure thing. How could it not be when it's a supergroup with three of my favorite singer/songwriters (Jim James, Conor Oberst, and M. Ward) and Oberst's right hand man (Mike Mogis)? Well, clearly, something went wrong along the way, because this self-titled debut does not live up to the hype, instead it tiptoes around it. The blippy opening track ("Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)") sounds more like a boy band single than a song written by four talented folk songwriters with its falsetto chorus and pensive "What is G-O-D all about, y'all?" lyrics. Even the best songs on this record aren't too memorable, sounding more like b-sides from their respective MOF contributer than a well thought-out collaborative effort that started five years ago (seriously, they've been working on this since 2004 and this is what we get). I'm not angry; I'd just rather listen to My Morning Jacket, Bright Eyes, and M. Ward's solo albums than get involved much further with this mess of a collaboration that wishes it was a Traveling Wilburys record.

This self-titled record is one that I have looked forward to for quite a few months now. I have to say that upon listening, I was somewhat disappointed. That's not to say that the songs contained within are bad because they certainly aren't. The problem is that when you're talking about 3 of the most prolific songwriters of the day coming together with one of the most accomplished producers in the indie world [and former Bright Eyes member as well], you should be able to expect a meshing of styles resulting in brilliance that is yet to be seen. The opposite is true. Much like Anna Apocalypse said, the songs sound like B-sides from each of the respective projects. Unfortunately, I was actually hoping for more from Jim James, but it seems as though Conor Oberst and M. Ward had the majority of the b-sides.

Should they decide to do another album, I certainly hope that they take the time to figure out what their sound together is, rather than using it as a means to pawn off songs that didn't make the cut for their respective albums [and for the record, I really don't like the song "Man Named Truth"].

Tracklisting:
1. Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)
2. Say Please
3. Whole Lotta Losin'
4. Temazcal
5. The Right Place
6. Baby Boomer
7. Man Named Truth
8. Goodway
9. Ahead Of The Curve
10. Slow Down Jo
11. Losin Yo Head
12. Magic Marker
13. Map Of The World
14. Sandman, the Brakeman and Me
15. His Master's Voice