The half-decade delay between the An Evening With… tour and the Monsters Of Folk album was, perhaps inevitably, down to scheduling commitments. Indeed, Oberst alone has released three albums as Bright Eyes and two solo since 2004. But, also, the members hint at a certain friendly rivalry.
“I know Matt is bringing in songs, and I already know they’re going to be good,” James says.
“It makes you work a little extra hard,” Oberst adds. “And I think we all have My Morning Jacket envy. There’s a song called ‘Losing Yo Head’ where I’m drumming. Jim was wailing a guitar part and he lets out a scream and I thought: ‘This is what it feels like to be in the Jacket!’”
In fact, James has been planning his Monsters Of Folk material for a while, and wrote the bulk of his contributions while on the same creative roll that produced MMJ’s 2008 album, Evil Urges.
“I was putting songs in folders in my head, “ he says. “Like ‘Would this be good for My Morning Jacket or would this be good for Monsters Of Folk?’ I would have visions of these guys singing with me on a chorus or taking a verse. [In MMJ] I’m the captain of the ship. It’s cool to work with other captains. See how they’re running their things.”
“You definitely want to put your best foot forward,” Ward agrees. We all brought to the table what we thought would be our best songs for the collaboration.”
The album was recorded earlier this year at Mogis’ Presto! Recording Studios, in Omaha, Nebraska. The studio sits between Mogis’ and Oberst’s homes, with a nearby guesthouse for visiting musicians. Isolated by their own choice, the four went shopping together, cooked together and discussed everything from the merits of BMX bikes to the best shampoo to apply to a scruffy rock’n’roll head.
“We’d sit around in the kitchen with acoustic guitars,” James says. “It was kind of like going over to your friend’s house to make a record,” Ward continues.
But there was only one rule. “We never said it out loud, but there was a certain understanding that everyone contributed [equally],” explains Ward.
“If somebody had an idea that was less than finished, we’d all sit down, or drive around and work on the lyrics together,” James continues. All other time constraints and pressures were dismissed.
“We were pretty slack on the field,” Oberst jokes. “We’d work from around 7pm to 9pm.” It sounded an ideal setup. “It seems like everyone there is trying to put out their art and their music,” admits James. “It’s an incredible community and a friendly place to be.”
It’s also about 20°F below freezing in February. Which is why the entire operation decamped after only a week and a half for “someplace warm by the water”, as Mogis says.