Monsters of Folk

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Listen Up: "Say Please" by the Monsters of Folk

The Monsters of Folk — M.

The Monsters of Folk — M. Ward, Conor Oberst, Jim James, and producer Mike Mogis — are definitely one of my dream musical collaborations. The supergroup has pulled together an album of original songs that's scheduled to hit stores in September, and for now, the musicians are offering a free download of one of their first tracks.

If "Say Please" is any indication, this collaboration will be living up to my hopes. The singers' voices blend perfectly on this straightforward and catchy song, which I'd classify more as rock than folk (despite the jangly tambourine occasionally popping up in the background). I hope these guys tour once the album's out, because I think this song would sound great live; by halfway through, I was ready to start singing along myself.

To get a copy, just head to the group's site and enter the magic word (you know, "please"). Or, to check it out before you download, just read more

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Buzz In: What Musical Collaborations Would You Love to See?

The news that frequent collaborators M.

The news that frequent collaborators M. Ward, Conor Oberst, and Jim James might soon be releasing an album together pretty nearly made me jump for joy this week. I like all three of them on their own, but I imagine they'd be so much better together, and supposedly the album (released under the name Monsters of Folk) would contain original songs by all three and be in stores in September. Fingers crossed, cause that sounds like a pretty great lineup to me.

In fact, I'm pretty sure those three would qualify as one of my dream musical collaborations, and so now I'm wondering what some of yours would be. M. Ward has a pretty good record with collaborations (see also: She and Him), and I'd love to see him record a full album of duets with Jenny Lewis. Also, after the whole Jaydiohead phenomenon, I occasionally dream of getting Jay-Z and Radiohead to record something together for real.

What about you? Do you imagine any of your favorite artists would be even better together?

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