Monsters of Folk are celebrating the 15th anniversary of their self-titled, critically-acclaimed 2009 album with the unreleased high-energy rock anthem “Disappeared” and an expanded new vinyl edition, arriving Friday, June 14th via ATO Records. This reissue features revised artwork, the original 15-song record plus 5 bonus songs recorded in 2012 featuring Will Johnson of Centro-matic.
The band was formed in 2004 when the members were on tour with their respective bands and solo projects. After playing together both on-stage and backstage, they started working together on various material.
The new single “Disappeared” previews Monsters of Folk’s – the acclaimed band comprised of Jim James (My Morning Jacket), M. Ward, Conor Oberst, and Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes) – reissue of their self-titled, one and only album which arrives with an expanded new edition on Friday, June 14th.
Johnson said in a press release, “That session was very much kept in the moment. I remember looking over at Jim playing drums on ‘Disappeared,’ joyfully bashing away, and it harboured that same exuberance of starting your first band: that moment in the garage where things take flight, and the energy and happiness just lead you onward.”
James, Ward, and Oberst also reflected on the album in the press release. Said James, “Making this album brought me back to the same feelings I had when I first started a band, or first started playing music in general—there’s a real simplicity and excitement to playing with folks you don’t normally play with. The spirit of play is alive on this whole thing.”
Oberst said, “It was amazing to have a ringside seat for the way Jim and M. make records. Jim’s outside-the-box knack for soul and harmony and M.’s sense of space and songcraft were so inspiring and invaluable to me then, and continue to be to this day.”
The Fat Angel Sings 