Monsters of Folk (album)

Monsters of Folk
Studio album by
Monsters of Folk
ReleasedSeptember 22, 2009
StudioShangri-La Studio (Malibu, California)[1]
ARC (Omaha, Nebraska)[2]
GenreAlternative rock, indie folk
Length54:37
LanguageEnglish
LabelShangri-La Music, Rough Trade
ProducerMike Mogis

Monsters of Folk is the first and only studio album by American indie rock supergroup Monsters of Folk, a group consisting of the artists Jim James, Conor Oberst, M. Ward, and Mike Mogis.[3] Originally slated for release in 2010,[4] the album was released through Shangri-La Music and Rough Trade Records on September 22, 2009.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Drowned in Sound7/10[6]
The Guardian[7]
Mojo #191, p.99
The Observer[8]
Pitchfork Media6.5/10[9]
Q
Rolling Stone[10]
Sputnikmusic[11]
The Times[12]

Critical

The album, whose title was a play on the concert series "Monsters of Rock", was well received by critics. Music magazines Q, Mojo, and Rolling Stone each awarded it four stars out of five. British newspapers The Guardian and The Times also gave the album a four-out-of-five rating, the latter stating that "this supergroup really is super."[13] USA Today called the album a "harmonious and occasionally electrified blend of folk-rock, country and white soul."[14]

However, People magazine gave the album two-and-a-half out of four stars, saying that "There's so much talent in this supergroup—M. Ward, My Morning Jacket's Jim James, and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis—that you kind of expect more from them", but, "Still, dreamy tunes like the soulful 'Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)' will help tame the beast within".[15]

Commercial

Monsters of Folk peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200, and charted in the Top 10 of five other Billboard charts.

Track listing

All songs written by Monsters of Folk (though "Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)" contains a sample of Trevor Dandy's 1970 song "Is There Any Love").

  1. "Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)" – 5:07
  2. "Say Please" – 2:48
  3. "Whole Lotta Losin'" – 2:45
  4. "Temazcal" – 3:49
  5. "The Right Place" – 3:48
  6. "Baby Boomer" – 2:53
  7. "Man Named Truth" – 3:51
  8. "Goodway" – 2:01
  9. "Ahead of the Curve" – 3:40
  10. "Slow Down Jo" – 3:21
  11. "Losin Yo Head" – 4:37
  12. "Magic Marker" – 3:20
  13. "Map of the World" – 4:24
  14. "The Sandman, the Brakeman and Me" – 3:23
  15. "His Master's Voice" – 4:50

Personnel

  • Jim James – vocals (1–3, 5, 6, 11, 12, 15), backing vocals (4, 7–10, 13, 14), guitars (1, 5, 11–13, 15), bass guitar (3, 4, 6–8), keyboards (1, 3, 5, 11, 12, 15), drum programming (1, 3), drums (2, 5, 9, 15), percussion (3, 13), sound effects (15)
  • Conor Oberst – vocals (1–4, 6, 7, 9, 13), backing vocals (5, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15), guitars (2, 4, 5, 7–9, 13, 15), baritone guitar (12), bass guitar (1), keyboards (5, 10, 11), drums (6, 11), steel drum (10), percussion (6)
  • M. Ward – vocals (1–3, 6, 8, 10, 14) backing vocals (4, 5, 7, 9, 11–13, 15), guitars (1, 3, 4, 6–11, 13, 14), bass guitar (2, 5, 12), synth bass (13), keyboards (3, 9, 11, 12, 15)
  • Mike Mogis – vocals (5), backing vocals (2, 7), guitars (1, 2, 5, 6, 8–10, 12, 13, 15), bass guitar (9–11), baritone guitar (3, 7), mandolin (5, 7, 8), keyboards (1, 2, 4, 9, 14), drum programming (4), drums (12), bongos (10), percussion (7, 9, 10, 12–14), sound effects (1, 15)

Charts

Chart performance for Monsters of Folk
Chart (2009) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[16] 91
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 34
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] 42
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[19] 44
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 43
US Billboard 200[21] 15
US Billboard Top Alternative Albums[22] 6
US Billboard Folk Albums[23] 3
US Billboard Top Heatseekers[24] 1
US Billboard Independent Albums[25] 3
US Billboard Top Rock Albums[26] 8

References

  1. ^ Wappler, Margaret (September 20, 2009). "Laid-back, fun-loving Monsters". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  2. ^ Fink, Matt (October 1, 2009). "Monsters of Folk: Averting Disaster". Under the Radar. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  3. ^ Josh Modell (June 11, 2009). "Oberst / Jim James / M. Ward record officially announced". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
  4. ^ Scaggs, Austin (January 22, 2009), "Smoking Section". Rolling Stone. (1070):26
  5. ^ Monsters of Folk at AllMusic
  6. ^ "Album Review: Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk". DrownedInSound.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2009. Retrieved September 22, 2009.
  7. ^ Dean, Will (September 17, 2009). "Monsters of Folk: Monsters of Folk | CD review". Theguardian.com.
  8. ^ Guardian Staff (September 5, 2009). "Monsters of Folk: Monsters of Folk | CD review". Theguardian.com.
  9. ^ "Monsters of Folk: Monsters of Folk". Pitchfork.com.
  10. ^ "Monsters of Folk : Monsters of Folk : Review : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 29, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  11. ^ "Review: Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk". Sputnikmusic.
  12. ^ [1]
  13. ^ Edwards, Mark (September 20, 2009). "Monsters of Folk Monsters of Folk". The Times. London. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  14. ^ Steve Jones, Edna Gundersen, Jerry Shriver, Brian Mansfield, Elysa Gardner (September 18, 2009), "Get ready for a coming sonic boom". USA Today
  15. ^ Arnold, Chuck (October 12, 2009), "Monsters of Folk". People. 72 (15):46
  16. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 192.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Monsters of Folk – Monsters of Folk" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  18. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Monsters of Folk – Monsters of Folk" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  19. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Monsters of Folk – Monsters of Folk". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  20. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  21. ^ "Monsters of Folk Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  22. ^ "Monsters of Folk Chart History - Alternative Albums". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  23. ^ "Monsters of Folk Chart History - Folk Albums". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  24. ^ "Monsters of Folk Chart History - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  25. ^ "Monsters of Folk Chart History - Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  26. ^ "Monsters of Folk Chart History - Rock Albums". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
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