SOUND BITES

  If there's one thing you can take to the bank when it comes to a new Father John Misty album, it's that you can never know for sure what you're getting into; through a six year, four album run that explored themes of self-discovery (2012's Fear Fun ), relationships (2015's I Love You, Honeybear ) and societal observation (2017's Pure Comedy ) before wiping the slate with 2018's God's Favorite Customer , which was succinct and chose to avoid staying on any wide ranging topics, focusing instead on the personal. With Chloe and the Next 20th Century , the conceptual tendencies are back, only this time the concept seems to revolve around mid 20th century Hollywood, from the showgirl on its black and white cover to the big band orchestration that acts as the main musical backdrop for the album. Of course, these cinematic sounds aren't completely alien to Josh Tillman's output as Father John Misty; however, it's never been the focus of the show li...

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...

Twenty years ago, an album was released that was destined for greatness. Hailed as an instant classic, it was a dark vision of our modern times, a reflection of the nervousness and fear rising within ourselves and a harbinger of a menacing, uncertain future. Its songs were things of absolute beauty, crushing sadness and faint hope, songs that were unique yet felt timeless and familiar. It was predicted then that this album would be revered for decades to come; true enough, many (myself included) believe that it stands among the best records of all time. That record, you may have guessed, was OK Computer by Radiohead, their undisputed masterpiece and a record that transformed the band from up and coming Britrock hit makers to one of the world's most vital artistic entities. If you're wondering why I'm bringing up Radiohead in a Father John Misty review, it's because there are parallels to be drawn here. Pure Comedy is Josh Tillman's third record under the Fat...