When M. Ward, Mike Mogis, Jim James, and Conor Oberst announced plans to record together, fans were quick to link the supergroup to the Traveling Wilburys, who blazed a similarly star-studded path 20 years prior. Truth be told, Monsters of Folk’s emphasis on harmony vocals and atmospheric arrangements has just as much in common with the work of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, even if the political concerns that grounded the latter group are largely absent here. Instead, the self-titled MONSTERS OF FOLK tackles religion, nature, love, and lust, with all four songwriters sharing vocals and songwriting duties. Mogis, who rose to prominence by playing a central but somewhat surreptitious role in Bright Eyes, receives slightly less screen time than the others, preferring instead to remain behind the scenes as producer and sideman. Even so, his guitar solo during “Say Please” is one of the album’s loudest, rawest moments, and his production helps draw connections between the album’s slew of songwriting styles and genres. “Folk” is defined broadly here, as the album encompasses everything from trip-hop to roots-rock to homely, homespun pop. Spread over fifteen tracks, the combination wears thin at several points, and several songs feel more like their creator’s solo work than a composite product. MONSTERS OF FOLK has moments on undeniable beauty, though, and when the musicians pitch their voices atop one another–as they do to notable effect on the gorgeous “Slow Down Jo”–the benefits of teamwork are more than clear.

Tracklisting
1. Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)
2. Say Please
3. Whole Lotta Losin
4. Termazcal
5. The Right Place
6. Baby Boomer
7. Man Named Truth
8. Goodway
9. Ahead Of The Curve
10. Slow Down Jo
11. Losin Yo Head
12. Magic Marker
13. Map Of The World
14. Sandman, The Brakeman And Me
15. His Master’s Voice

Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (p.65) – 4 stars out of 5 — “James’, Oberst’s and Ward’s voices meld beautifully in a variety of styles…”

Spin (p.84) – “Oberst, Ward, and James trade lead vocals on a few tunes and weave haunting harmonies throughout, but it’s not difficult to discern who the lead actor is on each cut.”

Entertainment Weekly (p.59) – “James is the goofball genius here, dishing out hilarious nonsense…” — Grade: B

Alternative Press (p.106) – 4 stars out of 5 — “The most interesting songs show off how surprisingly well Oberst’s unrefined warble melds with James’ liquid-smooth falsetto…”

CMJ – “[T]he music on their self-titled debut is powerful and consistent, highlighting everything we love about the four individuals in a fresh, new package.”

Billboard (p.36) – “When viewed less as a hipster supergroup and more of an old-fashioned song swap, Monsters of Folk live up to their hype and then some.”

Q (Magazine) (p.109) – 4 stars out of 5 — “[T]he barroom rollicking of ‘Say Please’ and ‘Losin Yo Head’ evoke a real sense of all-for-one rock romance.”

Record Collector (magazine) (p.92) – 4 stars out of 5 — “MONSTERS OF FOLK seems to have encouraged a raising of the group’s collective game.”

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My Morning Jacket – Z

My Morning Jacket’s fourth full-length outing, Z, marked significant changes for the Louisville, Kentucky-based band. Prior to the album’s recording, MMJ lost and replaced two of its original members. In addition, the group left the comfort zone of its hometown for Z’s sessions, opting for studio work in upstate New York with veteran British producer John Leckie. Fortunately, these shifting elements seem to have reinvigorated the ensemble, resulting in what may be its most confident and consistent record.

On Z, singer/guitarist Jim James widens what was already an expansive sound by moving MMJ’s aesthetic away from its alt-country roots and forward into further genre-melding explorations. As always, the songs here hinge on James’s plaintive, echo-laden vocals, as revealed on the atmospheric, dub-like opener, “Wordless Chorus.” The group also ventures into reggae/power-pop territory with the wonderfully catchy “Off the Record,” and works into one of its signature guitar-heavy frenzies with the surging “Anytime.” While IT STILL MOVES was My Morning Jacket’s breakthrough record, Z solidifies its status as one of America’s most inventive and formidable rock bands.

Tracklisting
1. Wordless Chorus
2. It Beats For You
3. Gideon
4. What A Wonderful Man
5. Off The Record
6. Into The Woods
7. Anytime
8. Lay Low
9. Knot Comes Loose
10. Dondante

Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (No. 985, p.80) – 4 stars out of 5 – “America is a lot closer to getting its own Radiohead, and it isn’t Wilco….”

Spin (p.63) – Ranked #13 in Spin’s “40 Best Albums Of 2005″ – “[B]eautiful melodies, fizzy dual-guitar jams, soaring soul-man falsettos, convincing reggae grooves – and an unexpected shout out to Madonna.”

Spin (p.133) – “Z imagines a dance floor covered in sawdust and a musty smell wafting from under the board….For every moment of ambient weirdness, there’s a blast of rock guitar…” – Grade: A-

Entertainment Weekly (No. 843, p.73) – “…They evoke the musical essence of various titans while achieving a wholly distinctive sound of their own….” – Grade: A-

Magnet (p.53) – Ranked #18 in Magnet’s “The 20 Best Albums Of 2005″ – “Z finds My Morning Jacket at the end of the road, leaning forward, embracing drum clicks and glitzy keyboards like never before.”

Magnet (p.104) – “The moody atmospherics are ultimately shattered by a catharsis of crescendoing guitars and gut-wrenching vocals, yielding what’s arguably the most powerful My Morning Jacket performance to date.”

Mojo (Publisher) (p.58) – Ranked #5 in Mojo’s “The 50 Best Albums Of 2005″ – “New conviction imbued the band’s heady, metaphysical rock’n’soul…”

Mojo (Publisher) (p.96) – 5 stars out of 5 – “Z is ruthlessly honed….The pedal steel tickling the edges of the lovely testimonial ‘The Knot Comes Loose’ has been assimilated into a worldlier musical context that magnifies the epic romance at the group’s heart.”