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 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 ...

Year in Rock 2023: Album of the Year #15-11

Alright, enough messing around. Let's cozy on up to the top 10. 15 THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM History Books October 27, 2023 • Rich Mahogany/Thirty Tigers Highlights History Books Autumn Michigan, 1975 It's not easy for a band to come back from nearly a decade away and simply pick up where they left off; it makes sense, then, that The Gaslight Anthem don't really try. Instead, their sixth album takes a more measured approach that's somewhat akin to a juiced up version of Brian Fallon's solo records. I personally would have preferred a little more fire in the collective belly, but otherwise everything there is to love about this band is fully intact. 14 ROYAL THUNDER Rebuilding the Mountain June 16, 2023 • Spinefarm Highlights The Knife Now Here - No Where Fade Coming a long six years after the enthralling, expansive WICK , Royal Thunder reemerges down one member with a somewhat stripped down sound in turn. Having said this, singer/bassist Mlny Parsons has long been the s...

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