Monsters of Folk are already being called this generation’s Traveling Wilburys, but a better comparison is Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Like CSNY, Monsters of Folk yoke together a quartet of folk-minded rockers [Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes, M. Ward of She and Him] at the top of their game — and both groups create something that’s often greater than the sum of its parts.

For one thing, there are the harmonies, which step fearlessly into the arena just as harmony singing has become the coin of the realm (see Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, etc.). James’, Oberst’s and Ward’s voices meld beautifully in a variety of styles: Check the Meet the Beatles-style belting on “Say Please” or the “Teach Your Children” vocal timbres on “Map of the World.” Ward’s mythic Americana spurs campfire-song playfulness on “Goodway” and “Baby Boomer,” while James’ current obsession with classic soul briefly turns the group into a trip-hop Four Tops on “Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.).”

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