With Jim James, Conor Oberst, and M. Ward in the fold, Monsters of Folk includes three of the most recognizable voices in indie pop, and an argument could be made on paper that combining the three of them inside one self-titled record would somehow magnify the experience of one of the artists’ day jobs. But it doesn’t quite work that way. What we get on an album that tries so hard to share the spotlight, is an abbreviated go — a revue, if you will — with each of the dudes. There are moments of levity — “The Right Place” is a charmer, on par with anything the boys have done alone — and hearing each voice step up to the microphone provides a handful of Traveling Wilburys moments. All that said, Monsters is sure to take on a completely new life on stage, with five bodies of work to pull from, plenty of ego, and a proclivity for musical hyperbole, as the band name implies. All ages. CHRIS KORNELIS

Thu., Oct. 15, 8 p.m., 2009