Monsters of Folk descend on Paramount Theatre

The Monsters of Folk claim not to remember who exactly came up with their name — some smart-aleck roadie or tour manager or booking agent. But they know that it's tongue-in-cheek, sort of. The foursome — Conor Oberst, 29, better known as Bright Eyes; Matt Ward, 35, better known as M. Ward; Jim James, 31, the frontman of My Morning Jacket, who lately prefers to be known as Yim Yames; and the producer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Mogis, 35 — are all outsize names and voices in indie rock. But they're about as threatening as a knock-knock joke.

Their evident camaraderie is also audible on their self-titled debut album, released recently by Shangri-La Music. Given their musical stature, the record was highly anticipated in indie circles as a collection of finely wrought songs with no overarching theme except that they are not all that folk. The collaboration — and the name — was spurred by a 2004 triple-bill tour, when they discovered how well they got along. Monsters play tonight at the Paramount Theatre.

"The world needed a Monsters of Folk," James said, sitting on an antique green couch, his arm around Oberst. "And we answered the call."

What did that call sound like?

James howled and said, "It sounded like dying Virgin Megastores and dying newspapers, dying trees, collapse of an empire, rebirth of a nation."

Ward, who had made coffee for everyone and was serving it in espresso cups, piped in. "We all have a lot of the same instincts about the music," he said. "There's just a lot of overlapping circles, I think it's safe to say. I think we started developing trust, the way a family would."

Even in the cross-pollinating world of indie rock, Monsters of Folk is something of a rarity, with three singer-songwriter-guitarists, all essentially in their prime in terms of critical appreciation, robust fan bases and artistic sway, and a common audience.

The three songwriters contributed five songs apiece, and each sang lead on his own material. Mogis collaborated on finishing each track, and all songs are credited to the group, with the members playing all the instruments. Their styles and voices — winsome and gravelly for Ward; plaintive and twangy for Oberst; lyrical and roots rock-y for James — remain distinct, even on songs like "Say Please," the first single, in which they harmonize.

"We started the record with no expectations of making a record, which was a part of the liberating enjoyment of making the music," Mogis said.

But experimentation was part of the process; though all are multi-instrumentalists, they are not typically drummers, except on this album. On "Losin Yo Head," a rowdy track recorded in one take, Oberst was on drums, Mogis on bass, Ward on guitar and backup vocal and James on lead vocals and guitar, amplified through a big Marshall Stack.

"When I make a record with My Morning Jacket: that's comfort, like a pinpoint, precision drill," said James. "With Monsters of Folk, "You're afraid the house is going to fall apart, but that's what makes it fun, that energy."