Monsters of Folk – Monsters of Folk
Fucking hell this is dreadful. Really, annoyingly, frustratingly bad. It starts out like the fucking Bee Gees, but fortunately ratchets it back from toe-curlingly awful to merely tediously mediocre pretty much immediately and then resolutely stays there for the rest of the album.
Even the name of the band (d’you get it – d’you see what they did there?) has a self-satisfied, complacent whiff to it, and generally this whole sorry enterprise smacks of the lazy, lifeless exercise in self-congratulation and mutual backslapping which this sort of super[sic]-group stuff can so easily be accused of.
I know that accusing artists of being lazy or self-satisfied is out of order because that really is projecting states of mind onto people that you generally don’t know well enough to be making that sort of statement about, but this album really does have that sort of air about it. Four guys (Conor Oberst, Jim James from My Morning Jacket, M Ward and producer Mike Mogis), all of whom have ‘made it’ in the world of alternative music, all getting together in a great big alt-folk fucking circle jerk of doom. So if this isn’t lazy or self-satisfied, which it might well not be, it certainly manages to sound conspicuously like it.
Basically, musically this just dips in and out of variations on the Americana template, is played in a smooth and competent manner, and seems almost like a lacklustre covers album – some harmony-laden pop, some West Coast rock ‘n’ roll, some acoustic balladry, although even that has too much added to it. It’s just the absolute middle of the fucking road in pretty much every respect – the tunes are okay, the sound is kinda medium American folk rock, it’s not too heavy, not too sad, not too jaunty… nothing – it’s just fucking nothing.
I am not a big fan of Conor Oberst, although I think that may be related to only being familiar with his later work, but I think his voice is probably the closest I can find to a saving grace in this MOR shitfest. On one or two songs his sad, sincere vocals lend just enough pathos to songs generally underserving of such validation to make a couple of the tracks listenable.
And that is pretty much it. Fucking awful.
Monsters of Folk – Temazcal
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Monsters of Folk – Baby Boomer
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guess what….i kinda like this….well at least it doesn’t provoke the response in me as it has in you Toad!
Sorry, got a little carried away with myself there. But this record really, really frustrates me.
Could you tell?
i wouldn’t buy it mind
Face it, any collaboration between comedian Sean Hughes, Abba’s Benny Andersson, pompous Radio 2 DJ Steve Wright and a young Tim Robbins is a troubling proposition.
i actually thought that this was not that bad. i have only listened to a bit of it mind, but i didn’t immediately want to scream so…
Dylan – maybe Steve Wright, the rest is a bit of a stretch…
I’m with RCC. It’s not terrible. Wouldn’t buy it. Really really can’t help feeling that I’ve heard this before. It sounds a bit like this is to folk what Lloyd Webber opera.
Well, I don’t think I’m disagreeing with you lot all that much. I don’t mind some of it, but it’s that very shrugged reaction which drives me nuts, mostly because of the pomposity (yes, I know it’s a joke, but still) of the title. If this is as good as it gets in this field why the fuck would anyone bother? And whilst some are okay, some of the songs really are fucking rotten.
Come on, Shonagh. That’s definitely Benny Andersson!
More Heath Ledger Dylan…
I guess the irony that i hope that they were going for makes it a little pointless as a project – it could have been so much better…
Wow. I haven’t listened to this yet, and now I really don’t want to. I was so fucking disappointed by Conor Oberst’s last album. So much for the Bob Dylan comparison he was laden with when he started out a complete legend. I quite liked M. Ward’s album Post-war, but nothing more. And Jim James is just a complete cunt – fucking supreme voice though. Cunt.
I’m a proper Oberst fan-boy (though obviously only his early stuff *cough*) and he’s only ever at his best when tempered by Mr Mogis, and I quite like M Ward. By rights I should love this. But I really don’t. So glad I’m not the only one who’s thoroughly unimpressed…
whooaaa young Matthew……
I’m with you, this record is awful not because the songs are all specifically bad, but because it’s offensively bland. While it’s not a carbon copy of Radio 2’s big favourites, it leaves the exact same impression on the listener as the other coffee table music they adore – seemingly made for people in their mid-thirties who haven’t quite given up on ‘new’ music yet, but only listen to stuff that sounds suspiciously similar to albums they already own. I had the misfortune of listening to this in its entirety at work recently, and while it was sadly the best of a bad bunch of the records on that particular day, I was very disappointed to find out M Ward (who I quite like) had anything to do with this. I don’t even mind the smugness and self-satisfactory nature of these sorts of collaborations if there’s some tunes to back it up, but it didn’t really get there. Given the talent that’s at work, it makes me feel kind of gypped. Perhaps that’s why it irritates me so much?
i didn’t have that high hopes for this….so not that bothered either way……
That probably helped a lot – that way anything good about it is just an added bonus.
Matthew and Dani’s comments are spot on.
Yeah, I’ve been notably unconvinced, although still giving it a listen. But like the chutney, no emotional investment…
I like Yim Yames’ George Harrison covers though.
I thought I’d give this one a miss, because even though the title’s a joke, it’s not really (imagine this in italics, if you please) a joke.
My love for Conor Oberst persevered through his weird long hair phase, so basically nothing can ruin it. You should definitely give Fevers and Mirrors and Lifted… a listen, as they are both ab-fab albums (fevers esp, as it was more personal, I guess?) The later albums aren’t as good, or maybe they just never clicked for me.
Also Jim James —–> Yim Yames, why?
Italics: [i]italics[/i] but with pointy brackets like this > instead.
And, yup, I know a couple of die-hard Oberst fans who have pretty much told me I know nothing until I’ve heard more of the early recordings, so believe me, I’m on it already!
And spot on about the title. ‘It’s a joke. But not really. But a joke. But we are still the best. Ha ha, just kidding.’ Fuckwits. It’s like that playfight that gets a little too serious and ends with forced laughter to mask the fact that you’re actually both quite sore and angry.
I adore Oberst’s early work, especially Fevers and Mirrors – possibly the best gift a confused seventeen year old boy could be given. I enjoyed everything up until around when I seen him in Birmingham for the Cassadaga tour and it was appalling looking back. I loved him for what I supposed was a child-like simple demure; he always seemed rather nervous in interviews; he seemed like a normal chap with the burdens of life just like everyone else. So I was really taken aback when he strutted around on stage like a twat, spitting and completely ignoring the crowd with a diva sort of attitude. I think, personally, his career’s turning point was the John Peel incident.
Matthew – Have you heard the split EP Bright Eyes did with Neva Dinova? It’s seriously gorgeous. I’ll bring it to you Friday if you haven’t.
RCC – …sorry.
Oh. Like this?
I’ll be so embarrassed if this doesn’t work.
Spring Cleaning.
Ok, phew. Thanks for that, I shall now torment folk with strangely used italics.
I had my fears about this. Loved M Ward’s album from earlier in the year, so wanted it to be good. The little I’ve heard is as bland as everyone’s saying. Can’t really be arsed listening to anything else…
Wouldn’t bother if I were you, mate. It’s an hour and a half of your life you will never get back and will resent wasting.
Voldermania, you’re a formatting champion. Use b instead of i and you get bold. How ’bout that!
Cheers Matthew, saved me a tenner, best buy a Meersalt album instead.
That applies at all times.
I didn’t think the album was terrible but it certainly wasn’t great. Disappointing since they could’ve done better as individuals instead of wasting their time putting something that’s so average out together. Very take it or leave it.
This is the most pointless release of the year by a mile. I’ve been making the same argument with some WOXY listeners. It’s a shameful public wank & I want fuck all to do with it. If this makes any top 10 lists of 2009 I’ll hunt the compilers down & stab them in the jap’s eye with a thistle.
Wow. I was considering it, DC, but not if you’re going to be like that.
Rashen Frashen Gnashen Rashen
Kiss have a new album coming out….whoop whoop
I am starting to feel a bit mean now.
Erm, one or two of the songs are okay!
but still it was the mind-numbing MORness of this, that you didn’t like
spot on matthew. this is utter wank.
Can it really be that bad?
I’m going to have to actually listen to it now..
Over reaction of the year perhaps guys?
First song sounds like an M Ward song sung by Conor Oberst with My Morning Jacket style harmonies.
Second song sounds a little like an M Ward song sung by M Ward with some Bright Eyes type harmonies.
Granted, the name of the band and album brings a little sick into my mouth, but other than that this really isn’t all that bad at all.
Wish I’d just stuck to taking the piss out of the cover art now.
The songwriting is just Americana-by-numbers, and what is up with that production? Sounds like Bon fucking Jovi.
no it doesn’t dylan……
Americana by numbers? what they used the chords C-D-G & A
and Bon fucking Jovi are/were and will always be fucking awesome
I think the Monsters of Folk title is certainly not meant to be taken seriously. But surely the music isn’t that bad? This actually exceeded my expectations, which were fairly low. There’s definitely a 70s AM rock vibe to a lot of it (shades of ELO), but I thought it was done pretty well. Nothing groundbreaking, admittedly, but not that awful.
hilarious review. conor o. may be the most overrated talent on the planet [and that includes the reality shows]