{"id":1417312,"date":"2022-04-04T07:16:07","date_gmt":"2022-04-04T11:16:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1417312"},"modified":"2022-04-04T07:16:13","modified_gmt":"2022-04-04T11:16:13","slug":"10-songs-to-listen-to-ahead-of-folk-rock-songwriter-father-john-mistys-new-album","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/10-songs-to-listen-to-ahead-of-folk-rock-songwriter-father-john-mistys-new-album\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Songs To Listen To Ahead Of Folk-Rock Songwriter Father John Misty\u2019s New Album"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2F10-songs-to-listen-to-ahead-of-folk-rock-songwriter-father-john-mistys-new-album%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1417312&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Father_John_Misty_19910380210.jpeg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/div>\n<p>Father John Misty \u2013 the preposterous stage name that folk-rocker Josh Tillman has been operating under for the past decade \u2013 is set to return on Friday with \u201cChlo\u00eb and the Next 20th Century.\u201d It\u2019s Tillman\u2019s first album since 2018 and fifth overall as \u201cFJM.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Before assuming the Misty moniker, Tillman spun his wheels in relative obscurity as \u201cJ. Tillman,\u201d putting out eight albums of earnest folk music between 2003 and 2010. His next incarnation was as the drummer for the critically revered indie band Fleet Foxes.<\/p>\n<p>Then a psychedelic trip loosed the scales from his eyes, and he saw a path out of the wilderness: just be yourself \u2014 the funny, sardonic, self-absorbed showman who\u2019s done a few drugs, met a few women, and spent some time contemplating this fallen world. Enter \u201cFather John Misty,\u201d the mask that revealed the man.<\/p>\n<p>Tillman then began writing songs that explicitly reflected his personality and worldview. An ex-evangelical who endured trauma growing up in the church, Tillman renounced the Christian faith as an adult and later embraced the high times and misadventures offered by a life of worldly experience.<\/p>\n<p>His first FJM record, \u201cFear Fun,\u201d is an ironic document of his rebellion, applying a \u201cchief of sinners\u201d confessional approach mostly for laughs. It earned widespread praise and landed Tillman appearances on David Letterman (see below) and <a href=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/207984374\">Conan O\u2019Brien<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>With his even more acclaimed follow-up, \u201cI Love You, Honeybear,\u201d Tillman fashioned his best approximation of a marriage record while still keeping one foot planted in the confessional. Here was love in the shadow of the Fall.<\/p>\n<p>Next came \u201cPure Comedy,\u201d an ambitious commentary on the folly of human existence, past and present, that sometimes veered into heavy-handedness. From there, Tillman returned to his strengths as a songwriter with the deeply personal \u201cGod\u2019s Favorite Customer,\u201d which found him mired in crisis and desperate for deliverance.<\/p>\n<p>In a way, the combination of \u201cPure Comedy\u201d and \u201cGod\u2019s Favorite Customer\u201d painted Tillman as a sort of Ivan Karamazov character. One moment he\u2019s confidently expounding on the nature of reality. Later, he\u2019s collapsed in a feverish heap, overwhelmed by all he can\u2019t control or comprehend. He\u2019s only human, after all.<\/p>\n<p>The latest chapter of the FJM odyssey is now here. In advance of \u201cChlo\u00eb and the Next 20th Century\u201d Tillman has released three singles. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ES2WW4JJ_84\">\u201cFunny Girl\u201d<\/a> is pure \u201850s crooner while the ornate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LqpNoMrlpo0\">\u201cQ4\u201d<\/a> and the autumnal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0DdUQ7kY4Ec\">\u201cGoodbye Mr. Blue\u201d<\/a> both signal the influence of <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2019\/01\/15\/10-best-harry-nilsson-songs-time-remember-legacy\/\">Harry Nilsson<\/a>. The latter is essentially a tribute to \u201cEverybody\u2019s Talkin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In advance of the arrival of \u201cChlo\u00eb\u201d this week, check out the ten FJM tracks below, all collected from his previous albums. They show the man in full: the sinner, the lover, the searcher, the cynic, and the sympathetic soul who \u201cjust wants some light in the dark, some warmth in the cold,\u201d and maybe even an encounter with the living God.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Funtimes in Babylon\u2019<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QRBACA7bAHU\">\u201cFuntimes in Babylon\u201d<\/a> is a showcase (albeit an understated one) for much of what makes Father John Misty such a compelling artist. There\u2019s the expressive voice, the warped confessional style, the recurring Biblical imagery, and the sly sense of humor. His deadpan delivery of \u201cLook out, Hollywood, here I come\u201d offers a taste of the ironic sensibility that permeates \u201cFear Fun.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"zVxyGs4j1a5BlCLQrXfa7hv9vDfw2oMK7LEpXqNJjGS8uRHPSgUYiHcqPzet01AwY4lZJW9mcKOMObpsIN8UiDm0Tk\"><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>\u2018Nancy from Now On\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cOh, pour me another drink and punch me in the face, you can call me Nancy,\u201d goes the unmissable opening line of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5a9H1qPRCSw\">\u201cNancy from Now On.\u201d<\/a> Here\u2019s Tillman as a man beset by sin and dysfunction, a captive trying to flee his own personal Egypt. Yet you wouldn\u2019t know it from the song\u2019s beaming and pristine production, which makes the whole ordeal sound so inviting. Those feathery falsetto hooks are irresistible.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"JaQFTc4Pl2C8hPvufrmhmoeNs2yEISVBp09kgAW95b1KZxXnNj1MzuUA0H5GX7YpQ3M\"><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>\u2018Only Son of the Ladiesman\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>The song itself is superb. It\u2019s FJM in self-mythology mode, with an obvious nod to Leonard Cohen. But <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=2PvcmhKRGeY\">this performance<\/a> on Letterman raises it to another level. Strutting, posing, and hamming it up, the six-foot-two Tillman revels in the spotlight while using his muscular voice to transcend the theatrics. When he sings, \u201cSomeone must console these lonesome daughters,\u201d the antics take a backseat, if only briefly, to heart and conviction.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"pPXouqfTCiSEPMF3OIW5ANRH9A7ncwre479DlmQpUkmnHhYaI1DlJKczSbd1Rtfgber2xdgavVy8WtiMFU4j6VG\"><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>\u2018When You\u2019re Smiling and Astride Me\u2019<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TYq1lrWGJrE\">\u201cWhen You\u2019re Smiling and Astride Me\u201d<\/a> is a gorgeous wall-of-sound ballad addressed to Tillman\u2019s wife that overflows with awestruck emotion, mainly in the form of cascading wordless vocals (think \u201cThe Dark Side of the Moon\u201d). But because this is an FJM love song, there\u2019s fear and self-reproach right alongside the exultation. \u201cI can hardly believe I\u2019ve found you and I\u2019m terrified by that,\u201d confesses Tillman. Terror \u2014 especially the fundamental terror of alienation from God \u2014 is ever-present in his world.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"fS3sFVYTMyq6CW2bXHjLz8oG7PlOr9mJ5hZcpB0KDxiIkdtAge4\"><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>\u2018I Went to the Store One Day\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Hushed and affectionate, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=F1DqSwTQ7p4\">\u201cI Went to the Store One Day\u201d<\/a> might rank as the prettiest moment in FJM\u2019s catalog. Once again, it\u2019s about his beloved, revealing the prosaic details of how they met and previewing what the future might hold. As for the present: \u201cBut now in just one year\u2019s time I\u2019ve become jealous, rail-thin, prone to paranoia when I\u2019m stoned.\u201d When human love is mistaken for salvation, it can take life as easily as give it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"ldGgFuDPEi5fJ5OnJe3ZXpj0cyaNrfNEwCvBUkGgcqMDwUo2eshvFh6O1jbzP3pZHWubqYLtXYaAmsQnMyC90kx4QSxmIz\"><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>\u2018Total Entertainment Forever\u2019<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JmoyQ6tixew\">\u201cTotal Entertainment Forever\u201d<\/a> fires on all cylinders. Lyrically, it steals ideas from \u201cInfinite Jest\u201d about media overconsumption to skewer the modern understanding of progress. With heavy use of irony, Tillman suggests \u201cthe freedom to have what you want\u201d is not all it\u2019s cracked up to be. <\/p>\n<p>Musically, it\u2019s like a vintage Elton John extravaganza, loaded with piano, horns, and pop flair. There\u2019s one hook after another. You don\u2019t want the party to end.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"EmPloxJzifsAa79jLrb3gv2\"><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>\u2018The Memo\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cAnd as the world is getting smaller, small things take up all your time\u00a0<br \/>Narcissus would\u2019ve had a field day if he could have got online\u00a0<br \/>And friends, it\u2019s not self-love that kills you<br \/>It\u2019s when those who hate you are allowed<br \/>To sell you that you\u2019re a glorious sh-t\u00a0<br \/>The entire world revolves around\u00a0<br \/>And that you\u2019re the eater, no, not the eaten\u00a0<br \/>But that your hunger will only cease\u00a0<br \/>If you come binge on radiant blandness<br \/>At the disposable feast\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"nJeILiUxYv9CEr802BTjchOpuloKRDdMVHgZP1QyfGNsAmbtk5\"><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>\u2018Hangout at the Gallows\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>After spending too much of \u201cPure Comedy\u201d sermonizing about societal ills and Life\u2019s Big Questions, FJM got back to losing his mind on \u201cGod\u2019s Favorite Customer.\u201d The opener, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=1fCREKzJxeU\">\u201cHangout at the Gallows,\u201d<\/a> is the sound of someone who\u2019s gazed into the abyss for too long. Violent metaphors spill out of him: floods, capsizing boats, \u201cpsychic terrorists in the upper room,\u201d and sharpened knives (not to mention the title). When Tillman asks, \u201cWhat\u2019s your politics \/ what\u2019s your religion,\u201d he seems willing to try anything to save himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"Ap0qVfNcMw6LIQuybqf28lJTFkaoLDHlGr6ZOBxEzpzkPOPmvBR2ZWdDbynVK1sS7a4RuMmdYj873eAs0Nwoc35gCg9WUXF\"><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>\u2018Mr. Tillman\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>On <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=T_WjZfIDasw\">\u201cMr. Tillman,\u201d<\/a> FJM borrows a page from the \u201cFear Fun\u201d playbook by pumping humor and hooks into another account of his own disreputable behavior. The scene of the crime is New York\u2019s Lafayette House, a hotel where Tillman camped out for several months in self-imposed exile. After a clerk politely recounts his various and sundry misdeeds, Tillman responds, \u201cI\u2019m feeling good, d-mn, I\u2019m feeling so fine\u2026 Don\u2019t be alarmed, this is just my vibe.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re supposed to laugh, and the song\u2019s dreaminess only adds to the enjoyment. But make no mistake, the cry for help is real.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"guFn3pkioINDCAOG8ySMVjz2XmB0Whcx4a69evPLEHJTf\"><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>\u2018God\u2019s Favorite Customer\u2019<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5l-Ia5oDCoE\">Here\u2019s<\/a> FJM\u2019s masterpiece, a beautifully realized ballad of brokenness and spiritual desolation that feels like it was his life\u2019s calling to write. Everything works to perfection, whether it\u2019s the downcast \u201870s singer-songwriter style, the self-loathing humor (\u201cI\u2019m in the business of living \/\u00a0 Yeah, that\u2019s something I\u2019d say\u201d), the celestial backing vocals, or the anguished prayer at the heart of the song. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSpeak to me \/ Won\u2019t you speak, sweet angel,\u201d pleads Tillman in Psalm-like fashion to the God he long ago rejected. We\u2019re left to wonder if he heard anything in response.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"Y7Kh2nl9BIWA1\"><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<p>\n  Barry Lenser lives and works in the Upper Midwest. He loves the Lord, his family, and the Packers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Father John Misty \u2013 the preposterous stage name that folk-rocker Josh Tillman has been operating under for the past decade \u2013 is set to return on Friday with \u201cChlo\u00eb and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":592,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1417312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1417312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/592"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1417312"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1417312\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1417312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1417312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1417312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}