- I was torn between two reactions when the news broke that Father John Misty was releasing new music. The man has curated such a divisive character that one was screams of joy and counting down the days until I could consume it and the second was rolling my eyes so far back into my head that my retinas snapped clean off and I went instantly blind. Whilst one side of me enjoys the waxing poetic about the ills of modern man and rather enjoys his witty interpretations on such things, the other half sees him as little more than a foppish Alex Jones. The latter is best exemplified by the hilariously titled article from The Hard Times “Father John Misty Cancels Concert After Disappearing Into Own Asshole”. Remove the cult of personality around this character -which has the bitter flavour of a conceited, schoolyard atheist- and lose yourself in stellar ballads, powerful vocals that deliver scathing internal diatribes and it’s apparent that these songs are meticulously composed and highly emotive. Departing from his last effort -a pointed and often obnoxious end of the world style rock opera- is a welcome move and has produced my favourite record of his to date.
One aspect of Father John Misty’s work that remains intact, if not made more potent by the themes behind this songs, is that you could reduce them all down to his bare voice and piano and they would still demand attention and entertain the listener as much as they do with the accompanying instruments. From the opening Hangout At The Gallows, we’re gifted with immaculate, subdued and far more straight-forward structure. Combining this simple song structure with additional sounds was something that initially drew me to Father John Misty: he wrote enchanting melodies that were embellished by a retinue of backing sounds, transporting things into a dream world. As it slinks back to more skeletal sounds, strings, background vocals, and fleeting electric guitar fortify the theme. After the swell passes, piano trills and slinky bass playfully move through the raw space. Moving seamlessly into the wry humour of Mr Tillman, one of only two songs with such personality is a conversation between the potentially drunk titular character and hotel clerks professionally humouring him. If the whistling that sends it out doesn’t sound quintessentially like what this track is, I’d be damned if I know what does. Individually, lyrical narratives are self-contained but halfway into the runtime, themes of loneliness, imposter syndrome, and the old trusty catalyst, heartbreak, bleed through. Critically analysing his song writing, and lamenting a perceived exploitation of his muse, ruminating on relationship ructions and expiry dates on romances, and ultimately his neuroticism, Josh Tillman gushes his innermost thought and bares it all for us to see. Well, through the Father John Misty lens at least. Airing of grievances on Just Dumb Enough To Try and Please Don’t Die are transported through stunning, consuming compositions. Evocative piano is the basis for most songs here and everything is built around that. Be it the bright and warm passage on the eponymous track with woodwinds, keys, and jailhouse harmonica or stabbing piano and rattling tambourine propelling Date Night, the production and mix is crisper than the first bite into a crisp-as-shit apple. To have him quote himself to know his way around a tune is fitting, albeit a little smug, but smugness is arrogance that's been earned and with a body of work as brilliant as this, its earned.
Throughout God’s Favorite Customer, heart tugging ballads steeped in emotional conviction benefit from their grandiosity and thematic nature. Each pour themselves out as a part of a full stage production, and for those who have been lucky enough to see Mr Tillman perform these songs, knows that this is where they truly shine.
Not to sound like this sadness and internal monologues fills me with joy but this record is a much more holistic and well written experience. Truncating the character's ego and honing focus on shaping an album with front to back cohesion has resulted in a much better output. Emotional conviction and dissecting interpersonal relationships add a more relatable aspect to Father John Misty. Not discarding his wry wit and objective pondering but threading them in more subtly, God’s Favorite Customer is the best work to come from this gentleman.
- Matt Lynch.