Country : United States Label : Sub Pop Genres and styles : Americana / Baroque Pop / Bossa Nova / Folk / Vocal Jazz Year : 2022

Father John Misty – Chloë and the Next 20th Century

· by Steve Naud

There’s something fascinating about following Josh Tillman’s adventures on disc. Especially since he stopped recording under his own name and created his larger-than-life double, the arrogant Father John Misty. The former Fleet Foxes drummer put aside the sad indie folk of his first offerings to start cooking up vitriolic baroque-pop tunes rooted in 70’s soft rock. The last time we heard from him was when God’s Favorite Customer was released in 2018. With this intimate album created while his love life was on the rocks, Tillman dropped the mask and laid his broken heart bare.

And four years later? Well, as if he wanted to take the opposite view of his previous opus, our man has stopped featuring himself in his lyrics. He chose instead to present fictional characters, mainly women, to tell us about their loves, their glory days, and their downfall. Let his fans, who appreciated his pen dipped in caustic soda, reassure themselves: even if the discourse of the author gives less openly in social criticism than on the very politicized Pure Comedy (2017), this dimension of his work is still present, but in filigree. In this respect, Tillman joins his model, Leonard Cohen, who knew how to handle irony like no other, in order to make us see all the beauty–but also all the ugliness–of the world we live in.

From the musical point of view, there is also a break between Chloë and the Next 20th Century and the album that precedes it. Indeed, the soft-rock dimension has been almost evacuated. As the title of the record indicates, its creator has cheerfully drawn from everything that the last century could offer as forms of popular music. We find bossa-nova, vintage folk (a nice nod to Harry Nilsson), baroque pop illuminated with harpsichord, country ballads, and especially jazzy songs such as those that rocked the golden age of Broadway and Hollywood. This style suits perfectly Tillman’s cynical eye, who has always made it his duty to criticize showbusiness made in the USA.

Backed by loyal partners, Jonathan Wilson as a producer and Drew Erickson as an arranger (what a masterful job!), Josh Tillman shows that he is a singer-songwriter in a class of his own. More than any of his other records, Chloë and the Next 20th Century is a work that can’t be tied to anything that’s in vogue right now. This artist, who has been deliberately polarizing since he began releasing under the Father John Misty banner, will–once again–not be unanimous, but one can only bow to such talent and intelligence.

Latest 360 Content

Transforming Hiroshima mon amour into contemporary opera: Christian Lapointe and Rosa Lind tell the story

Transforming Hiroshima mon amour into contemporary opera: Christian Lapointe and Rosa Lind tell the story

Sparks – MAD!

Sparks – MAD!

Peter Murphy – Silver Shade

Peter Murphy – Silver Shade

Ken Pomeroy – Cruel World

Ken Pomeroy – Cruel World

Art of the Line: Klangkarussell’s Euro Vision at SAT

Art of the Line: Klangkarussell’s Euro Vision at SAT

Centroamérica – a powerful docu-play about truth and connection in an age of distance and denial

Centroamérica – a powerful docu-play about truth and connection in an age of distance and denial

Lido Pimienta – La Belleza

Lido Pimienta – La Belleza

Tamir Barzilay – Phosphene Journal

Tamir Barzilay – Phosphene Journal

The best ‘’Candlelight concert‘’ ever.

The best ‘’Candlelight concert‘’ ever.

Men I Trust – Equus Caballus

Men I Trust – Equus Caballus

The Halluci Nation – Path of the Baby Face

The Halluci Nation – Path of the Baby Face

A lap steel guitar choir and an angel to end the Innovations en concert 24-25 season

A lap steel guitar choir and an angel to end the Innovations en concert 24-25 season

The OSM and Abel Selaocoe: Evenings When You’d Like to Stop Time

The OSM and Abel Selaocoe: Evenings When You’d Like to Stop Time

Reaching for the sky: Francis Choinière’s challenge to end his OPCM’s 10th season

Reaching for the sky: Francis Choinière’s challenge to end his OPCM’s 10th season

Piknic 3: A Little Bit of Everything Under the Sun

Piknic 3: A Little Bit of Everything Under the Sun

Cazzu – Latinaje

Cazzu – Latinaje

Stereolab – Instant Holograms On Metal Film

Stereolab – Instant Holograms On Metal Film

SMCQ | In memoriam Jocelyn Morlock

SMCQ | In memoriam Jocelyn Morlock

Abbey Road at Festival Classica

Abbey Road at Festival Classica

Mira Choquette – Hier encore

Mira Choquette – Hier encore

Jared Dunn; Anna Gorecka – Gorecki’s World of the Piano

Jared Dunn; Anna Gorecka – Gorecki’s World of the Piano

Cyrille Dubois; Tristan Raës – Dupont : The Complete Songs

Cyrille Dubois; Tristan Raës – Dupont : The Complete Songs

Subscribe to our newsletter