Father John Misty
Pure Comedy
(Sub Pop)
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Warning! Donโt read Josh Tillmanโs, a.k.a. Father John Mistyโs, expansive treatise about his new album before listening to it.
The rambling six-page, 1,770 word document attempts to explain the concept behind this equally sprawling 13 track, 75 minute follow-up to his critically acclaimed 2015 I Love You, Honeybear release. It contains sentences such as the opening โPure Comedyย is the story of a species born with a half-formed brain. The speciesโ only hope for survival, ๏ฌnding itself on a cruel, unpredictable rock surrounded by other species who seem far more adept at this whole thing (and to whom they are delicious), is the reliance on other, slightly older, half-formed brains.โ Thatโs the most cohesive it gets.
Better to just push play and get transported into Mistyโs world where ’70s Elton John, piano based ballads meet Harry Nilssonโs skewed lyrics with indie rock attitude. Like his dissertation, trying to decipher what exactly is going on in these lyric-heavy tunes that seem to describe a dystopian society may be worth your time, but only after you digest the equally challenging music. Look no further than attention-grabbing song titles such as โThings It Would Have Been Helpful to Know Before the Revolution,โ โWhen the God of Love Returns Thereโll be Hell to Payโ and the 10-minute long โSo Iโll Stay on Magic Mountainโ to get a sense of what youโre in for.ย
Thankfully, Mistyโs dreamy voice meshed with similarly attractive melodies that never seem obvious or nearly as oblique as the concepts they convey keeps this project not just afloat, but moving forward despite, or perhaps because of, the widescreen production that features symphonic horn charts and voluminous strings. Rather than drowning these tracks, they elevate them to artistic levels made all the more impressive knowing they were done live in the studio with no more than two live takes each.ย
There is no rock here, although the prog nature of the music incorporates those influences, yet the album never feels bloated or one-note. Those willing to navigate songs with verses like โAnd hand me a sea-peach/ and say โCome over hereโ from the Pink Floyd-sounding โSmoochie,โ which seems to be as much a love song as it is an acceptance of the narratorโs madness โฆ or something, can glide on the songโs lovely, subtle, melodic grandeur.ย
Regardless, in this era of easily digested ideas made for short attention spans, Father John Misty challenges his audience to stick with him on a rewarding hour and a quarter slo-mo journey to a sphere that may share a few too many comparisons to ours for comfort.
Jump on, relax and enjoy the ride.