Monsters of Folk

by

Monsters of Folk

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I have to admit the only member I was even remotely aware of was Conor Oberst, who was featured in a RS piece some months ago. A brief mention of this venture was all I remember, other than his hiatus from making genius music.

So, I was intrigued when my wife bought this album from Sound Garden Records in Syracuse, NY before we attended the SSO concert that night. We listened before going into the symphony and we both thought it "just ok".

My wife brought it to work and played it in the vault for a couple of days and brought it home without a word. Later that week I took it out and asked her how it was received. She said that it just seemed to go a bit unnoticed and wasn't great background music (she works with cancer patients and plays music during the radiation treatments).

I started listening to it a couple of weeks ago, to and from work, and it has surely grown on me. One of the reviews I read stated that this effort seemed to lack cohesiveness and was a bit disjointed. Although it does exhibit these two results, I think it's to be expected from this so-called "supergroup", especially theme-wise (as was implied in the critique), song-to-song.

But, musically, these four sound like they have been together as a band for years and are at that point in a band's career where its time to compile a "Greatest Hits" record. I think the music is just that good and the musicianship is simply stellar. Each song has a distinct flavor all its own, which speaks to the talent of each member, and the depth of talent and richness of melody each can bring. The lyrics are a real treat as well and don't let the listener down.

Let me give my song by song run down:

1. Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)--Deeply moving, spiritual song. Each member

sings their own refrain to God. Well done.

2. Say Please--Killer guitar. Beat is Beatlesque with strong influence of

Harrison.

3. Whole Lotta Losin'--Credence opening. Hint of Jeff Lynne vocals. Travelin

Wilbury vibe. This isn't a copy, though. Its original; the real thing.

4. Temazcal--"A 'Temazcal' is a traditional Native American Indian steam bath

that has been used for both healing and ritual ... The Temazcal serves as

a calming and therapeutic experience." The synths stand out on this one.

This is the most mystical song on the CD, both lyrically and emotionally.

5. The Right Place--The second most folksie song on the record. A great

little ditty.

6. Baby Boomer--The first most folksie song on the record. Can you say I was

influenced by Arlo Guthrie ladies and gentleman? Great lyrics/commentary,

too.

7. Man Named Truth--Great pickin'. The third most folksie song on the

record. The mandolin shines through. Great story tellin', too.

8. Goodway--The most "country" of them all. An interesting element to this

song is the "excerpt from an anonymous letter read immediately before being

burned" inserted at the end of the song, read quietly, just audible below

the melody.

9. Ahead of the Curve--Great country rock acoustic number.

10. Slow Down Jo--Great vocal harmonies on this one. Like its name, it slows

things down and brings vocals together, at times, mixed with a terrific

steel guitar.

11. Losin to Head--So Beatles. All Beatles. Again, this is not imitation that

feels wrong, but is original with distinct influential undertones. There is

a guitar in this song that sounds like John was brought into the album to

play guitar (no not George, I know).

12. Magic Marker--The first time you are reminded of the "How many licks does

it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop", and you think, "What are

they bringing that up for?" But, the nostalgia is brought along with a

melody and harmonizing done so well that, in the end, you feel yummy just

like the song. There is a guitar part in the center and it tastes oh-

so-sweet.

13. Map of the World--Good song. From the website: "James, who has lately been

producing solo material under the moniker Yim Yames, concurs: `It was very

peaceful and hilarious. No ego. No drama. Just a lot of song-trading and

ideas floating around and good times. We worked hard on the songs and the

ideas, but it never felt strenuous or rushed. There were several moments

during the Malibu sessions where we would all be in the room recording all

at once - on `Map of the World,' for example, or `Losin Yo Head' -- and

they were really magic. I think we all felt like we were in high school

again, picking up new instruments for the first time and just losing

ourselves to the moment and having fun.'"

14. The Sandman, The breakeman and Me--Classic train song. Well done.

15. His Master's Voice--If you don't have a spiritual side, maybe the subject

matter will be off-putting. For me, the subject matter combined with the

acoustic guitar and vocals make this one simply magical. probably my

favorite one on the record.

Buy it today.

Not as good as their individual parts. Occasionally, as in the first track, they work really hard at crafting a pop song that I'm just okay with but tap through to the next song whenever I play this album. (I tap through a lot on this album)

Conor is my favorite of these four, but even his songs call a little too much attention to a rather stilted structure on this album. His last solo was better, as was the Bright Eyes last one.

As with all supergroup albums, it seems, nothing cohesive here except the next song.

Maybe three good songs, the rest are just okay.