Monsters of Folk

In my personal and humble opinion, the last and worst thing anyone should and could be called is a “singer/songwriter.” I’m of the variety who shouts a valiant “amen” to the verse “What this world needs/Is another folk singer/Like I need a hole in my head.”

So it begrudges me, at a certain level, to hear whispers and rumors of a so-called band they call Monsters of Folk. In no less terms, “What the fuck do monsters have to do with folk music so much as to say there could be the possibility of monsters who would stoop so low as to consider themselves ‘of folk’?” as a friend of mine so poignantly put it.

Nonetheless, my first encounter with the new mega-band composed of My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst, M. Ward, and Mike Mogis was misunderstood (on account of a slight deafness in my left ear brought on by a furious case of swimmer’s ear), as Monsters of Hope, I concluded, was a humorous if not ironic ode (as it were) to the Obama campaign slogan of a very similar (if not mildly forgotten) theme.

Either way, there they are — all three of these fellas alongside the Saddle Creek braintrust (Mogis, if you were asking) are collaborating to offer all the bearded, flannel-wearing hipsters out east another juicy bit of morsels to devour in the hopes that this will appease their unquenchable thirst for something “new” that isn’t really “new” but just obscure enough to preserve that most hallowed spot of existing just outside of the forbidden boundaries of the “mainstream.”

Oh god…this sounds a bit too vindictive, doesn’t it?  I thoroughly enjoy Jim James and M. Ward considerably. I’ve never been too much of a Bright Eyes fan to lend Conor Oberst the exaltations he receives in plenty otherwise, but I have met him personally on two occasions and he is nothing but the perfect gentleman — quite personable and extremely humble. I respect the man immensely for that and, for that alone, I seriously consider any musical offering he makes, despite my presuppositions against his previous work.

The Monsters of Folk stuff is worth a listen. No doubt. You can’t combine such dynamic elements and not expect to discover some sort of satisfying explosion in your ears and mind. Of the three songs I can get my hands on at this moment, “The Sandman, The Brakeman, and Me” is by far the most attractive and just might be enough to lure me into investing a few hours of listening to the entire album when it’s released on September 22, 2009. The tune rings closer to the sound of M. Ward than any of the others, with Mr. Ward taking the primary vocal duties, and the instrumentation resonating closely to what you got from Hold Time.

Until September then, I guess, you can investigate for yourself and form your own opinion from the three tracks, “Say Please,” “The Sandman, The Brakeman, and Me,” and “Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.),” on their website.

They’ve also recently announced a list of tour dates (on which Austin, Texas never shows up — for Chrissakes, Mr. James? Mr. Oberst? C’mon now…make a swing through town! If it be surprise, at least let me know [r_dahl@buzzine.com]). I’ve seen all four of these guys in a live setting at one or two or three points in my life, and they are all well worth it. Even though I may not particularly favor Bright Eyes, I’d pay to see the live show, as Conor Oberst is and will continue to be a dynamic stage presence and cultural influence for some time whether you or I like it or not. The entire Monsters of Folk project itself, I wonder, might just be a mere product — a vindication of what all four of them have essentially been doing for the better half of the last decade, anyway.

For that alone, we, the fans, might just owe them the ticket price or cost of the album.

The dates:

10/13 Vancouver, British Columbia – Orpheum CA
10/14 Portland, Oregon – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
10/15 Seattle, Washington – Paramount Theatre
10/17 Oakland, California – Fox Theater
10/18 Los Angeles, California – The Greek Theater
10/20 San Diego, California – Spreckels Theatre
10/21 Phoenix, Arizona – Orpheum Theater US
10/22 Santa Barbara, California – Santa Barbara Bowl
10/28 Omaha, Nebraska – Holland Center
10/29 Minneapolis, Minnesota – Orpheum Theatre
10/30 Chicago, Illinois – Auditorium Theatre
10/31 Louisville, Kentucky – Louisville Palace Theatre
11/02 Toronto, Ontario – Massey Hall CA
11/03 Boston, Massachusetts – The Orpheum
11/06 New York, New York – United Palace
11/08 New York, New York – Beacon Theater
11/09 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Academy of Music
11/ 12 Stockholm, Sweden – Philadelphia Church
11/14 Berlin, Germany – Huxleys Neue Welt
11/15 Copenhagen, Denmark – Vega
11/17 London, United Kingdom – Troxy
11/18 Paris, France – Elysee Montmartre
11/19 Koln, Germany – E-Werk
11/21 The Hague , Netherlands – Crossing Border
11/22 Antwerp, Belgium – Crossing Border