IN REVIEW: Father John Misty - "God's Favorite Customer"

As brilliant as I found Father John Misty's third record to be (Pure Comedy received a 10/10 from me last year, a score I never thought I'd hand out again), I will readily admit that it can be a very tough record to get through. Fans of his previous, more character driven and introspective work, were mostly taken aback by suddenly being given a 75-minute opus on which existential, political and societal concerns were order of the day.

Father John Misty (aka Josh Tillman) had concerns about how his audience would take to this tonally heavier material (as voiced on Leaving L.A., Pure Comedy's 13-minute centerpiece), and perhaps he also had a back-up plan in case things didn't pan out. Barely a year after that massive magnum opus comes God's Favorite Customer, a retreat of sorts to the life-and-love subject matter of his first two records under the FJM moniker; it's not only his most personal record, but also his shortest at 38 minutes.

Tillman guides us from the Pure Comedy phase to what comes next via opening track Hangout At the Gallows, which boasts the refrain "What's your politics? What's your religion? What's your intake? Your reason for living?" Throughout the remainder of the album, the loose narrative finds Tillman getting lost in doubt and drugs in a hotel while wrestling with his demons and pondering his marriage (which, ultimately, turns out to be his reason for living). It's a rough journey with a wide range of emotion and tone; the laid back, loungy Mr. Tillman sets the stage for the story, while throughout there are a lot of ballads (the two most heart wrenching being Just Dumb Enough to Try and Please Don't Die), though some slightly more energetic fare pops up every once in a while to break up the darkness for a few minutes (Date Night, Disappointing Diamonds Are the Rarest of Them All).

With so much of his heart on the page, so to speak, somehow God's Favorite Customer ends up being mercifully short, due to nothing but it being so emotionally draining in parts. The Songwriter, during which Tillman wonders how he would feel if roles were reversed and his wife was the one making a living singing songs about their marriage, is as heartbreaking as it is clever. It raises an intriguing point, one where the listener must consider all the significant others who have had their private lives put to tape by their partners; I would suspect there are a lot of stories on our favorite artists' records that their loved ones wish could go untold.

Interesting questions aside, God's Favorite Customer ends up easily keeping Father John Misty's winning streak alive; though it isn't the times-defining masterwork that Pure Comedy was or the sharp, slightly exaggerated take on modern romance found on I Love You, Honeybear, this is a record that can hang with both. Even with a couple of numbers that don't meet FJM's recent quality standards and a stark imbalance between the morose and the hopeful, God's Favorite Customer further cements Josh Tillman's status as this decade's most intriguing, exciting singer/songwriter.

June 1, 2018 • Sub Pop
Highlights Hangout At the Gallows • Just Dumb Enough to Try • Please Don't Die

Year in Rock 2025

Alright, I've got some explaining to do. By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but: a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...

Year in Rock 2013 Nominee: Arctic Monkeys

ARCTIC MONKEYS Do I Wanna Know? From: AM Released: September 10 That Year in Rock 2012's Single of the Year R U Mine? ended up on this album is pleasing, and it fits the motif well enough. But R U Mine? isn't what makes Arctic Monkeys' fifth album an Album of the Year contender. Sweaty, sultry and pulsing with sexual energy, AM is the kind of record that's just as effective whether you're chilling out after a long day, staring into a mirror prepping yourself for a late night clubbing session or setting the mood for some escapades in the boudoir.

Year in Rock 2023: Album of the Year #10-1

Now we're getting somewhere; the top ten, where there are no duds or mids, only bangers. Also, no more teasing it out; let's wrap this up! What I've learned this year from my ten faves this year is that it is indeed still possible for a dude approaching his fifties to more or less stay up to date on the new school. Of course, there are some listed here that got a boost from playing tribute to the old school, but there is an undercurrent happening in rock that points to the future. But, I'm getting ahead of myself; here come the champs. 10 MILITARIE GUN Life Under the Gun June 23, 2023 • Loma Vista Highlights Very High Will Logic Never Fucked Up Once Rising from the ranks of the still-potent L.A. hardcore scene, the debut record from Militarie Gun (following a trio of EPs) bears a dash of polish that's expected with backing from a larger label; the tension and energy remain, though, resulting in one of the catchiest hardcore albums I can think of in recent years. 9 ...

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