Father John Misty - Fear Fun Album Review
The creation of an alter-ego has been floating around the music scene since the dawn of time...
rating: 4.5
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WebsiteFacebook Release date: 30th April, 2012 The creation of an alter-ego has been floating around the music scene since the dawn of time (and a lot longer for literature, art etc.) but some people often forget this and contradict themselves in the process. Take Lana Del Rey for example: she arrived with a new persona having ditched her real name for one of a potential Hollywood starlet and achieves mainstream success but then the backlash appears Aaah, shes fake! Aaah, its a gimmick! Aaah, shes sold out! yet take a look back through history and largely accepted legends such as David Bowie and Madonna consistently changed their looks to continue being successful and Robert Allen Zimmerman used Bob Dylan as his stage name to then became hugely prominent. Its a dilemma Josh Tillman, ex-drummer for Fleet Foxes, wants to meddle with having been quoted saying his new moniker Father John Misty is totally arbitrary I mean I may as well have called it Steve. Now Father Steve sounds like your local vicar (not the most exciting alter-ego lets be honest) so perhaps more thought has gone into this persona and the album Fear Fun than Tillman lets on Father John Misty, complete with four-eyed blue haired guru on the cover, speaketh of vice, he speaketh of death, he speaketh of Hollywood. Im not sure at this stage if Im meant to be repenting these sins or revelling in their debauchery but, my sons, this is no sermon, nor is it Fleet Foxes earthy folk. This is all out swinging Americana drunk in the Deep South with a cross in its left hand and a gun in its other. Lets start at the beginning shall we? One thing you will notice in a good half of the songs on Fear Fun is a hint of the harmonies Fleet Foxes became so well known for but its important to remember Tillman has been writing solo material way before he joined them. Before you start thinking this will just be a Helplessness Blues re-run, it is Tillmans lyrics on tales of decaying Hollywood glamour, torrid encounters with women (Say hello to Nancy, Misty and Sally on the track-listing who sound like a trio of saloon wenches from the Wild West) and the clinging on to youth plus all manners of recreational activities (if you get my drift) shrouded in guitar strums, 50s Californian summery rhythms and choral vocal delivery. This is encapsulated particularly well in standout Nancy From Now On which features perhaps the best opening line in a song ever Pour me another drink and punch me in the face you can call me Nancy plus harmonies that veer away from the Foxes into equally pleasant Beach Boys territory despite basically talking about kinky sex games and a drunken night out. http://youtu.be/iS84BMFszW0 When the music is swinging straight into the Southern rockabilly ranch is when I think Tillmans new persona really excels. Blending religious allegory and elements of gospel but still discussing Hollywoods seedy side stops any of the lyrics coming across as less preachy and more confessional (the lush O I Long To Feel Your Arms Around Me being the nearest to a white chapel choral number). Im Writing A Novel would be the perfect soundtrack to an indie road trip movie with talk of Canadian Shamans and drug-induced visions whilst Well, You Can Do It Without Me is a witty retro bopping country number with a killer whistling middle-eight and the hand-clapping Tee Pees 1-12 is up for a rowdy bar brawl at the rodeo. Sometimes this balance is tipped just a little too far and comes across as either plodding (Mistys Nightmares 1 & 2) or too muddled especially in the case of the reverb-heavy faux-rock Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings (Tillmans voice isnt really built for this style and the noise pop angle is better left to Sleigh Bells amongst others). http://youtu.be/KtOToiIDNRA The main issue (and there are admittedly very few to discuss with this album) is aimed directly at Tillmans concept which I dont believe is completely cohesive. The two videos above are completely the image I imagined for the music and more than benefit the songs in question (especially for Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings) but it feels at odds with this Father John Misty character and the album artwork, which just comes across as a cartoonist vision of Fleet Foxes memorable debut album cover. Its a shame Tillman is bogged down with philosophies when the actual content, I feel, is extremely accomplished and doesnt need what is essentially a gimmick to carry it to an audience. The Americana-country feel with this fixation on sin and humorous lyrics reminds me of some of Johnny Cashs earlier material but perhaps with more polish and less grit. I dont pretend to have an extensive knowledge of country music, largely because its never been a very marketable genre in the UK, but what I hear I enjoy and it sums up what Id be looking for in a country record minus a couple of dud songs along the way. So when it comes to Father John Misty and this debut all I can do is heap praise on Josh Tillman not Father John Misty. Amen.