Who Are the Monsters of Folk?
Posted by Carlos Gabriel Ruiz on September 18th, 2009Well, ladies and gentlemen, the Monsters of Folk are Jim James, Mike Mogis, Conor Oberst and M. Ward and their album drops next Tuesday, September 22nd.
Run out and pick it up on CD or on vinyl. For tour dates and to find out more, check out the Monsters of Folk website.
The wide-ranging instrumental palette is one clue that their name, Monsters Of Folk, should not be taken literally. It’s deliberately off-kilter, dashing expectations from the get-go. It also introduces a subtle, recurring theme of spiritual yearning/questioning that deepens, occasionally darkens, but finally uplifts the mood of the entire album. Though there are elements of country, blues, easygoing rock and, yes, folk to be heard throughout, the overall sound defies instant categorization.