Sunday, November 08, 2009
A+E, Music, Reviews

Monsters of Folk

“Monsters of Folk”  (Shangri-La Music)

Perhaps “Legends of Anti-Folk” is more apt, since none of these four singer-songwriters would be considered folk, at least not as traditionally defined. Rather, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, M. Ward and Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis collaborate on 15 tracks of generally unplugged country, pop and muted rockabilly, with some moderate trip-hop rhythms thrown in.

    The foursome play all the instruments, jointly write the songs, trade lead vocals and harmonize together, making this a true collaborative venture. Mogis is the only one who doesn’t take the lead, yet there’s more of the multitalented instrumentalist (he’s credited with bass, guitar, percussion, mandolin, dobro and synths) here than initially meets the ear.

   The album starts out fulfilling its high expectations, with James’ ethereal vocals leading the dreamy, hypnotic and beautiful “Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.).” Unfortunately, it doesn’t continue to deliver as successfully as it unwinds over its hour length. The disc sounds fine, and has a few memorable moments and some terrific harmonies, but after it’s over, few songs stick in your brain. The acoustic guitars strum, the vocalists sing wistfully and the production is professional, yet melodically, the whole thing feels as mild and bland as a cup of tea.

   The group’s live show will mix in material from the members’ full-time projects—a smart move, since it takes the onus off playing the weakest tunes from this set (about a third of it), and promises impressive selections from the quartet’s more compelling work.

2.5 STARS—Hal Horowitz