Tag Archives: Josh Tillman

Song of the Week – Mahasmashana, Father John Misty

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Ignored             Obscured              Restored

Father John Misty (aka Josh Tillman) released his sixth album under that moniker in 2024.  Its title, Mahāśmaśāna, is a Sanskrit word meaning “great cremation ground,” perfect subject matter for a pop album!  Catch the sarcasm?

The lead track, and title song, is a 9-minute epic, both musically and lyrically – drawing comparisons to George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass.”

A rolling drum intro introduces sweeping strings, keyboards, and strings.  By the 7:30 mark, a saxophone joins the wall of sound, along with screeching strings, that bring the song to a soaring climax.

FJM’s vision is bleak — he imagines a post-apocalyptic world left with no trace of life.

Mahashmashana, all is silent now
And in the next universal dawn
Won’t have to do the corpse dance, do the corpse dance
Do the corpse dance with these on

However, in an interview with Scott Simon of NPR, FJM offered a different perspective on the song. “Well, that ‘Mahāśmaśāna’ song I really think of as being a love story. But this corporal form, you know, it just – the body wins every time. And love is kind of the foot soldier of that destruction – sounds like a hit.”

The album has received critical praise, placing 49th on Paste’s list of the 100 Best Albums of 2024.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week – Total Entertainment Forever, Father John Misty

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IGNORED OBSCURED RESTORED

Each December I take the time to do an exhaustive review of the new music I listened to throughout the year – I compile my own, private “best of the year” list. I also read as many other lists as I can to discover more critically acclaimed albums that I may have missed.

By the time I get to this point in the New Year, I’ve fully processed my favorite recordings from the prior year.

One album that I missed upon release but turned out to be one that floated up to the top for me was Father John Misty’s third release, Pure Comedy. Father John Misty, aka Josh Tillman, was the drummer/backing vocalist in Fleet Foxes from 2008 until early 2012. By May 2012, Tillman had released his first solo album under the Father John Misty pseudonym.

The SotW is “Total Entertainment Forever.”

The song opens with the provocative lyric:

Bedding Taylor Swift, every night inside the Oculus Rift
After mister and the missus, finish dinner and the dishes

To Tillman, this is a commentary on “progress.” He was quoted in an interview with Exclaim! as saying “…if you don’t think that this virtual reality thing isn’t going to turn into sex with celebrities, then you’re kidding yourself.” This is indie rock for thinking people… and one of the best albums of 2017.

Enjoy… until next week.