MONSTERS OF FOLK (Oberst, Mogis, James, M.Ward) Announce Album

       MUSIC NEWS - Monsters of Folk, comprised of Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James and singer/songwriter M Ward – will be releasing their first collaborative album on September 22, 2009.  The self-titled effort was recorded in Malibu, CA and Omaha, NE, and produced by Mike Mogis.  Though these critically acclaimed artists have shared the stage before, this album is their first recorded effort as a band.  The record will be released in North America on Shangri-La Music, and the rest of the globe via;  Rough Trade (UK/Europe), Spunk Records (Australia/New Zealand) and P-Vine Records (Japan).

Monsters of Folk started up as folklore of sorts, when James, Oberst, Ward and Mogis did their first batch of shows together in 2004.  Like the musical revue shows that went from town to town when rock ‘n’ roll was just born, the tour was called “An Evening With:  Bright Eyes, Jim James and M. Ward,” although amongst friends and crew, it became affectionately known as the “Monsters of Folk Tour.”  While they entertained audiences coast to coast with acoustic melodies and world-weary tales, the foursome vowed to find studio time together after the tour’s completion.  Instead,  they ended up going into individual directions with their own releases of rock music’s most exciting and necesary albums of the last five years; Bright Eyes’ I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning & Cassadaga; My Morning Jacket’s Z & Evil Urges; M. Ward’s Post War and Hold Time.   But, they've kept their promise, and when downtime allowed, they re-grouped in the studio multiple times over two years, with Mogis at the helm of their first recorded effort. 

(photo by Autumn DeWilde)

All four members play every instrument on the album, supplying everything from drum kills to backing vocals.  The songs, a mix of road-worn fables, intimate and intricate with electronic elements,  woozy and sun-soaked, are everything one expects from these four musical minds collaborating together.  The album exudes a warm, organic spaciousness, filled by brilliant choruses, intoxicating harmonies and effortless melodies, as each member brings his own strengths to the table to create one perfect whole.

UPDATE 7/15/09 - Their track “Say Please” has been made available !  Give a listen free, here.

MONSTERS OF FOLK Track List-

1.    Dear God (sincerely M.O.F.)
2.    Say Please (listen, above)
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