Jim James (of My Morning Jacket), M. Ward, Mike Mogis and Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) walk into a studio. Fortunately, this is not a joke. Although, they did decide to call themselves Monsters of Folk. Really?

The first track, “Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)” is slightly lackluster for an opening and needs some sort of break or variation — the existing break is not quite enough.

However, the second track “Say Please” is immediately better, and fortunately, more indicative of the sound of the rest of the album (mostly songs which sound like they belong on one of the four musician’s individual albums).

“Whole Lotta Losin’” features a pleasantly subtle synth line tastefully hidden in the background, and the lines “by and by and by and by and by and by” provide the folksy feel we were expecting, as well as a sweet Johnny Cash reference: “I’m leanin’ out of open windows / singin’ I still miss someone.”

The styles of the each of the musicians blended well, and each of the members’ voices are represented. “The Right Place” features My Morning Jacket style crooning as on “Mahgeeta,” “Goodway” sounds very similar to M. Ward’s “Chinese Translation” and Conor Oberst’s shaky voice and Bright Eyes’ twangy guitar sound are featured throughout the album.

The songs are well suited for sitting around a campfire, and the project certainly produced some good songs. It is not an especially original or groundbreaking recording. You get what you expected from this collaboration.