Album Review: Father John Misty--Fear Fun

Fear Fun

I wrote this tiny article almost a year ago when Father John Misty's first album was going to be released. I sent it to a few indie mag's, but it was never picked up. I really like this entry though so I'll share it with you guys. I know it doesn't correspond with my mission statement, but I swear my next submission will correspond.

“Contrary to anesthetized neo-progressive sensibilities, what we celebrate as a culture is in some way related to the state of the individual.” – Josh Tillman

Does this quote make you marvel? Does it tickle your innermost consciousness and mirror your deepest insecurities to the world? I’m sure Tillman would think that’s’ how his fans would feel, but the former Fleet Foxes drummer is far from being the next Claude Levi-Strauss or Clifford Geertz. Tillman’s symbolic yet perplexing statements on modern civilization don’t tell us much about his art, but they do tell us that Tillman is an ardent character with passion equal to that of a West LA shaman. Tillman’s (current) personality shows in his recent solo work under the name “Father John Misty.” I may cringe at some of the one-liners Josh Tillman congers up in his head, but I’ll admit that I like his new album Fear Fun to be released on May 8, 2012.

There is an ongoing theme of Hollywood in the album that is sort of refreshing in the anti-industry bubble that has recently hit indie the past few years. The old Hollywood flavor is certainly present and makes itself known with themes and syntax that are similar to Buffalo Springfield, but with a modern flavor. The song being pushed early by his label is titled “Hollywood Forever Sings” and it resurrects listeners to the sounds of Old Hollywood found in the house bands of 1960’s Whiskey a Go Go and the Troubadour.

For fun you should definitely count the number of references to Los Angeles and the Hollywood area in this album. Tillman may be a lost soul that belongs in the 1960’s but this album hits modern keys and tones that fans of indie will like today. You don’t have to be an old man with fond memories of classic Sunset Boulevard to appreciate this album. I’ll admit that personally I like Father John Misty more than Josh Tillman, but I seem to be banking on the hope that Josh has a split personality disorder. One personality is a rich ex-drummer from a popular indie band that says the most pretentious pseudo-philosopher shit in the world (don’t follow him on twitter) and the other (Father John Misty) is a smart music historian whose mind is deprived with the once majestic Sunset Strip.