Monsters Of Folk - Monsters Of Folk Review
Posted by Paul Schofield on 09.23.2009
Folk icons unite to form supergroup. But are their efforts closer to Godzilla or Critters?
Everyone loves a supergroup. Cream, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Journey, The Travelling Wilburys, Velvet Revolver, Audioslave. It’s something that we have all likely dreamed about, picking your own fantasy line up. Mine would be Keith Moon on drums, Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page on guitars, Flea on bass, and Freddie Mercury on vocals. And Bez dancing. Everyone needs a Bez. But if you take the idea of the supergroup and apply it to the musical genre of folk, the potential names are from a much smaller list. Monsters Of Folk are such a group, with probably the strongest folk lineup you could pick. Conor Oberst is a gimme, and Bright Eyes bandmate Mike Mogis, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, and M. Ward from She & Him with the wonderful Zooey Deschanel. I mentioned her name, so here’s a picture of her, seeing as she is likely to be the only female I reference in this review.
She’s so pretty it hurts my face. And everyone knows that pictures of beautiful women will do wonders for my hit counter. I eagerly await the comments of ‘I’d hit that’ from hornypubescentboy505 and his similar minions.
For the ladies out there, and to spread the message of sexual equality, here is a picture of Conor Oberst.
He’s so dreamy it makes my ears weep. Ladies, do you prefer Conor with long or short hair? Again, I eagerly await the comments of ‘He’d hit me’ from vaginalmenstrautionsauce101. And her similar minionettes. Though I doubt he would hit them, he doesn’t seem like the domestic violence sort.
Anyway, let’s look at the album from Monsters Of Folk, which of course is called Monsters Of Folk. Is it just me who wants albums to have album names, and not just be named after the band? Only The Bronx can get away with that, and only then because they shred faces in such a manner. Here’s the tracklist.
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. "The Sandman, the Brakeman and Me"
15. "His Master's Voice"
The opening track. Hit ‘em hard with something good is the way to do it. Consider this box ticked. “Dear God” is a heartfelt message to the big guy/girl/monster truck upstairs that can only be delivered by voices such as these. If God was a monster truck, would we have to say “Amen” three times with growing intensity in each one? I like to think so. It’s a slow, mournful track, that you will listen to and exhale “Huh” in agreement. “Say Please” sounds a lot more joyful, but is closer to being a folk Everybody Hurts, but not quite as epic. Dear Lord, I used epic in a normal sentence, without following it with WIN or FAIL. Something must be wrong with me. This song has the subtle touches of Jim James all over it, like a rash than can only be described as sexual.
“Whole Lotta Losin’” is more of a folk stomper, a pointy shoed-toe tapper. It’s utterly enjoyable, and shows how well the Monsters can perform uptempo as well as downtempo. So far, so good. “Temazcal” is a beauty, with Conor stamping his authority all over it like an revoked driving license. It has that quiet wonder about it that utterly charms and draws you in, the lush vocals being the cherry on top of a bakewell of delight. Scrumptious.
“The Right Place” is a country and western style ballad that sounds exactly like it should. At first it’s easy to disregard it, especially when compared to its preceding track on the album, but persevere and ye shall be rewarded, as it’s a gentle enough song. It’s like having a blond baby, followed by a redheaded baby, but then the redhead turns out to be good at science, and all is right with the world. “Baby Boomer” is hushingly lively, a hand clapper yet a head soother that can cure most ailments. Except hepatitis. Sorry Pamela Anderson. M Ward is behind the wheel for this song, and he knows every bump in the road, making the ride that much easier.
“Man Named Truth” is another gem, a gold nugget found in the mine, a modern cowboy tale doused with nostalgia and tumbleweeds. If this song were a cowboy it would be throwing other songs through windows and saloon doors, and smashing bottles over their heads. It would also have the mightiest, finest mustache this side of the Apache wastelands. It’s really enjoyable. Listen!
“Goodway” is perhaps a step too far towards country, at times sounding cliched. In the words of Peter Griffin, “it insists upon itself.” Luckily, “Ahead Of The Curve” is a savior, again with the sweet smell of Mr Oberst hanging in the air. Whilst most of the songs have been acceptable so far, it’s instantly noticeable that the best ones have his influence over them. “Slow Down Jo” is sadly lacking this influence, and is more country pomposity. Sorry if anyone likes this, but it doesn’t do it for me. But then I like Marmite, so what do I know?
“Losin’ Yo’ Head” is another upbeat discursion, and is enjoyable enough, but it is lacking the hooks of the finer songs on this album. Perfectly acceptable for filler, but with minds such as these at work, there should be no filler. “Magic Marker” could never be called filler, it’s far too poignant and likable, like that shiny donkey you always wanted to carry your shopping but could never find at the right price. “Map Of The World” is another Bright Eyes-esque jaunt, and as expected is a highly listenable tune. It’s jaw dropping how effortless Mr Oberst can make anything he tries seem to be. “The Sandman, The Brakeman And Me” is beautiful, a true throwback to the inspirations behind this album and these musicians. Finally, “His Masters Voice” is also a joy to behold, and a great way to finish the album.
The 411: Overall, it’s hard to judge this as a complete album as, expectedly, the songs aren’t true collaborations, more songs from each member with the others joining in to make them better. It has a warm, singing around the campfire style to it which interests, but I feel I was expecting more. I may have talked about Conor more than the others, but that’s only because I know more of him and have heard more of his songs than the rest, and on this evidence it is apparent that if his songs weren’t on this album, it would be above average for the most part. As it is, it’s a fairly good album, but all it does for me is serve as a reminder to what the musicians have achieved already, and to especially want another Bright Eyes album.
