Photo courtesy of Monsters of Folk.com / The Collegian
The debut album by indie powerhouse “Monsters of Folkâ€Â, released Sept. 22 on Shangri-La Music, expands beyond the genre but fails to excite eardrums.
The band’s all-star lineup includes Portland, Ore. songster M.Ward, who’s also one half of cutesy-rock duo “She & Himâ€Â with actress Zooey Deschanel, Yim Yames, moniker of alternative-rock “My Morning Jacket’sâ€Â lead singer Jim James and hailing from the band “Bright Eyes,â€Â singer/songwriter Conor Oberst and multi-instrumentalist producer Mike Mogis.
The self-titled album opens with its best track “Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.),â€Â Propelled by Yames’ smooth, almost-too-high vocals and backed by the angelic tones of the harp, it’s written as an open-ended letter to God.
“Dear God’sâ€Â lyrics include, “Well I’ve been thinking about, and I’ve been breaking it down, without an answer / I know I’m thinking aloud, but if your love’s still around, why do we suffer?â€Â
Unfortunately for the listener, none of the tracks that follow on “Monsters of Folk,â€Â render the same response.
“Say Please,â€Â the album’s satisfactory second song, breaks the quiet, melodic flow established by “Dear Godâ€Â with its annoying, insistent request for it’s subject to “hold out your hand, darling / Say please.â€Â
It’s when the songs get louder that the album suffers. Weighed down by lazy lyricism, too many tracks on “Monsters of Folkâ€Â rely on repetition. Oberst sings in his quivery voice, “Don’t ever buy nothing from a man named truth,â€Â three times in a four-sentence chorus on the rustic, guitar-plucking “Man Named Truth.â€Â
Similarly, “The Right Placeâ€Â finds Yames singing the throwaway lyrics “I needed you like you needed me / People, they need piano keys.â€Â
The album isn̢۪t all bad. The sound is stellar, with all four members playing every instrument featured.
The prizes of the disc lie in the quieter songs. “Slow Down Joâ€Â takes its own advice, starting with a hushed acoustic guitar and building off of Ward’s mellow crooning to incorporate the harmonies of the entire group. Penned as an instructional manual to a friend who’s living life too hard and accompanied by the surprising sound of a steel drum, the song is a success.
“It ain’t by poking out your eyes, when you see something you don’t like / Even your mama said she don’t want to see you spent at 25 / So come on Jo stay alive.â€Â
The album’s fourth track, “Temazcal,â€Â seasoned with haunting echoes and story-telling verses stands out among the rest of the songs. “Love we made at gunpoint wasn’t love at all / the dancing in the valley, the moons, the mirrored ball / blew open my mind, now it’s an empty room.â€Â
There are great songs on “Monsters of Folk,â€Â just too few of them. The album is comprised of adequate tracks more than standout tunes and when listened to in its entirety, it fades into the background.