* En anglais uniquement
Father John Misty is a stage name adopted by American singer and songwriter
Joshua Michael Tillman.
Tillman's music paints languid, sadly beautiful portraits of love and life on the margins with the moody depth of
Nick Drake and the country-influenced textures of
Will Oldham.
Tillman also adds a touch of dark humor to his
Father John Misty persona, especially in his observations of his characters, though it tends to flow with the contemplative, world-weary tone of his songs rather than disturbing it. And he favors rich, expansive arrangements that complement the sweep of his melodies and the expressive reach of his voice. The second
FJM album, 2015's
I Love You, Honeybear, was a landmark effort with its carefully crafted sound and arch lyrics, 2017's
Pure Comedy favored a cooler, more elegant approach, and 2022's
Chloë and the Next 20th Century set
Misty's sardonic lyricism against cinematic orchestral arrangements and '70s-styled AM radio singer/songwriter instrumentals.
Joshua Michael Tillman first made a name for himself playing drums in a pair of indie rock bands,
Saxon Shore and Stately, while attending college in New York City. In his spare time, however, he began writing material of his own, citing the music of
Nick Drake and
Pete Seeger, and the writings of Flannery O'Connor, as key influences. Some of
Tillman's demos found their way to
Damien Jurado, who invited
Tillman to join his band for a tour.
Tillman played solo sets during several dates on the tour and began distributing CD-R copies of an early collection of tunes called I Will Return (attributed to
J. Tillman). During the tour, he also struck up a friendship with
Eric Fisher, who produced another CD-R album, Long May You Run, again attributed to
J. Tillman. Both
Tillman and
Jurado later signed on for a U.S. tour with
Richard Buckner, where
Tillman once again found a ready audience for home-burned copies of his disc.
In 2006, the independent Fargo Records label released
Tillman's first properly distributed solo album,
Minor Works, and Keep Records reissued I Will Return/Long May You Run as a two-disc set the same year. In 2007, Yer Bird Records released
Tillman's fourth, more elaborately arranged album,
Cancer and Delirium. Although his solo work continued to garner critical acclaim, he briefly shifted focus in 2008 by joining
Fleet Foxes. The group toured heavily in support of its debut album; meanwhile,
Tillman continued working on his own material, releasing
Year in the Kingdom in 2009. In 2011,
Tillman left
Fleet Foxes to concentrate on his many solo projects, adopting the pseudonym
Father John Misty for 2012's
Fear Fun, a 12-track collection of new material that infused the harmony-laden hymns of his former band with a patina of
Gram Parsons and
Harry Nilsson-informed, Laurel Canyon-inspired neo-psychedelia. In 2015
Tillman issued a second studio album under the moniker, the caustically funny and surprisingly sweet
I Love You, Honeybear. The album received widespread acclaim from critics and fans alike, and was particularly lauded for its bold use of strong melodies, ironic and ornately romantic lyrics, and stellar arrangements.
In May 2016, it became apparent that
Tillman had also begun working on further material after he uploaded a new song to SoundCloud titled "Real Love Baby." He made headlines that summer when he cut his performance short at the XPoneNtial Festival in New Jersey after replacing his planned set list with a tirade about the empty values of entertainment and the rise of stupidity in popular culture and its effect on society. He then performed a cover of
Leonard Cohen's "Bird on the Wire" before abruptly leaving the stage. Later that year, he uploaded another new song to SoundCloud, "Holy Hell," and in late January 2017, announced his third album,
Pure Comedy. Lyrically, the record touched on themes such as politics, social media, the environment, technology, and celebrity culture. Ahead of the album's release,
Tillman promoted the effort with the title track and "Ballad of a Dying Man," along with an 1,800-word essay released to his online fan club about the symbolism involved in the record.
Pure Comedy was released in early April 2017. The prolific artist returned in early 2018 with the singles "Mr. Tillman," "Just Dumb Enough to Try," and "Disappointing Diamonds Are the Rarest of Them All," ahead of the release of a new studio LP. Written during a six-week period when
Tillman was living in a hotel, the resulting
God's Favorite Customer was released later that June.
Tillman toured Europe in 2019, and an appearance with the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt at the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie was given release as a digital album, 2020's Off-Key in Hamburg. 2020 also saw the release of a 7" for the Sub Pop Singles club and a four-song EP,
Anthem +3, featuring impassioned performances of songs by
Leonard Cohen,
Cat Stevens (aka
Yusuf), and
Link Wray.
Tillman spent much of August through December 2020 in the studio, working on the next
Father John Misty project. Released in April 2022,
Chloë and the Next 20th Century was co-produced by
Tillman and
Jonathan Wilson, with orchestral arrangements by
Drew Erickson. In addition to the cinematic arrangements,
Chloë and the Next 20th Century also dabbled in bossa nova,
Nilsson-esque singer/songwriter fare, and moments of jazzy ambience underscoring
Father John Misty's sharp storytelling. A deluxe edition of the set included bonus 7" vinyl singles featuring interpretations of songs from the album by
Lana Del Rey and Jack Cruz. ~ Mark Deming & Rob Wacey