UNKW SOUNDS : FATHER JOHN MISTY, heavenly guru
J. Tillman paraphrases Philip Roth when he talks about his creative intentions behind Father John Misty. As Roth says with his fictional alter ego Zuckerman, Tillman quotes: “It’s all of me and none of me, if you cannot see that, you will not get it. What I call it is totally arbitrary, but I like the name. You’ve got to have a name. I never got to choose mine.” O father! ….preacher of such beautiful words, we know these aspirations well…
Discharged from the choir, he caresses his group Fleet Foxes against the grain in a less “puritanical” version and repaints his own evanescent choir. A natural career move we feel, as there is nothing quite like this drummer. When asked, Tillman said that some people have exaggerated his involvement in Fleet Foxes, where he was told to play this piece and that piece without thinking and never really being involved in the composition work. Like many of his brothers in arms (Dave Grohl from Foo Fighters), he did not let this stop him from putting his ideas in place to move on to a solo project.
After finishing their world tour he turned to his incredible album “Fear Fun”. The 12 tracks are quite surprising with a Beach Boy style vocal and rhythm mixed with the fury of Band of Horses. The Tillman touch brings home Americana folk-blues with Well, You Can Do It Without Me and I’m Writing A Novel. But his finest tracks are those with the organ and choir (O I Long To Feel My Arms Around Me, Only Son Of The Ladiesman), and finally let’s not forget the insane sound breakdown of Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings. Damnit !
Father John Misty links : Facebook | Official Site | Free download of Hollywood Forever Cemetary Sings