Pure Comedy
Josh Tillman’s third album as Father John Misty is a wry and passionate complaint against nearly everything under the sun: Politics, religion, entertainment, war—even Father John Misty can’t escape Father John Misty’s gimlet eye. But even the wordiest, most cynically self-aware songs here (“Leaving L.A.,” “When the God of Love Returns There’ll Be Hell to Pay”) are executed with angelic beauty, a contrast that puts Tillman in a league with spiritual predecessors like Randy Newman or Harry Nilsson. A performer as savvy as Tillman knows you can’t sell the apocalypse without making it sound pretty.
'Pure Comedy', Father John Misty’s third album, is a complex, often-sardonic, and, equally often, touching meditation on the confounding folly of modern humanity. Father John Misty is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Josh Tillman. Tillman has released two widely acclaimed albums – 'Fear Fun' (2012) and 'I Love You, Honeybear' (2015) – and the recent “Real Love Baby” single as Father John Misty, and recently contributed to songs by Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Kid Cudi. While we could say a lot about 'Pure Comedy' – including that it is a bold, important album in the tradition of American songwriting greats like Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman, and Leonard Cohen – we think it’s best to let its creator describe it himself. Take it away, Mr. Tillman: 'Pure Comedy' is the story of a species born with a half-formed brain. The species’ only hope for survival, finding 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. This reliance takes on a few different names as their story unfolds, like “love,” “culture,” “family,” etc. Over time, and as their brains prove to be remarkably good at inventing meaning where there is none, the species becomes the purveyor of increasingly bizarre and sophisticated ironies. These ironies are designed to help cope with the species’ loathsome vulnerability and to try and reconcile how disproportionate their imagination is to the monotony of their existence. Something like that. 'Pure Comedy' was recorded in 2016 at the legendary United Studios (Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Beck) in Hollywood, CA. It was produced by Father John Misty and Jonathan Wilson, with engineering by Misty’s longtime sound-person Trevor Spencer and orchestral arrangements by renowned composer/double-bassist Gavin Bryars (known for extensive solo work, and work with Brian Eno, Tom Waits, Derek Bailey).
Father John Misty is a consummate entertainer. On Pure Comedy, he questions the value of entertainment, capitalism, and everything else in a grueling odyssey through the psyche of Josh Tillman.
Josh Tillman, a.k.a. Father John Misty, is both a journalist’s dream and worst nightmare. His press conversations are hours-long marathons, making transcription a royal pain and a focus tough to pin down. On the upside, these chats overflow with quips and sound bites, meaning that writers really can’t go wrong with…
Father John Misty’s third album is a beautiful, illuminating masterpiece. Get the NME verdict on 'Pure Comedy'
father john misty, pure comedy, album, review, ryan lunn, josh tillman
On the whole, his potential need for introspection has been removed in the service of a greater cause: describing the world…
The former Fleet Foxes drummer proves himself a national treasure on introspective follow-up
Like anything that comes out of the mouth of Father John Misty -- the hipster gadfly persona Josh Tillman adopted after leaving the Fleet Foxes in 2012 -- it can be difficult to discern whether the title of Pure Comedy is intended sincerely.
Pure Comedy is the perfect name for Josh Tillman's latest; seemingly serious, ultimately farcical, but vital throughout.
"Leaving L.A." isn't the best song on Father John Misty's monumental third LP, Pure Comedy, but it's a fitting microcosm for it: The epic, 1...
After a number of solo albums as J. Tillman and a stint as Fleet Foxes' drummer, Josh Tillman created Father John Misty to find his real voice.
Is it the crooner, the melancholy reflection, the intense stare or the fact he treats us all with such disdain that we love? Who knows, but Father John
The follow-up to I Love You, Honeybear unfolds like a would-be Great American Novel, but it’s too clever by half and swamped by mid-tempo piano tracks
Father John Misty's follow-up to ‘I Love You, Honeybear’ is an album that's almost impossibly massive in its scope and thematic reach.
Pure Comedy’s understated arrangements ensure the focus remains squarely on Tillman’s lyrics and captivating voice.
'Pure Comedy' by Father John Misty, album review by Owen Maxwell. The full-length comes out on April 7th via Sub Pop. Father John Misty plays 5/5 in Toronto
Josh Tillman’s dark pronouncements, set to luscious, 70s-style orchestration, update the idea of the confessional singer-songwriter for the post-truth era
The musical equivalent of a cold margarita on a hot summer day, refreshing and yet somehow a little sour.
Father John Misty - Pure Comedy review: Midway upon the journey of our life I found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward path had been lost.