If there is one artist in the current mainstream who is best known for their sardonic wit, it is Father John Misty. Seemingly having made a career out of self-aggrandisement and social critique, Misty, who’s real name is Josh Tillman, is more character than singer. From turning up on stage at a festival in 2016 just to rant at the audience and disappear, to covering Taylor Swift’s ‘Blank Space’ in the style of the Velvet Underground (only to remove said covers because Lou Reed appeared to him in a dream and told him to take them down), Father John Misty and his music come with a certain expectation of surrealness and self-indulgence.
So when he announced a new album last year, I was eagerly waiting for what I imagined would be the most Father John Misty album yet. A post-covid, post-Trump, post-absolute insanity album by a man renowned for biting social and political commentary? It seemed obvious that Misty’s fifth album would be dripping in irony and contempt, a continuation of 2017’s Pure Comedy and 2018’s God’s Favourite Customer.
However, that’s not quite the case as Chloë and the New 20th Century is unlike anything Father John Misty has done before.
Combining the 60s Americana of Harry Nilsson and Scott Walker with the 1920s Hollywood arrangements of Fred Astaire and Cole Porter, Chloë is completely un-ironic and somewhat earnest. It is so contradictory in nature; it’s unlike anything Father John Misty has released before but it’s the most Father John Misty-esque album yet.
Opener Chloë is a beautiful character study of the eponymous heroine in this 1920s Hollywood romantic thriller-esque track, complete with a big band orchestral backing. It features lighter and less personal lyrics from Father John Misty, but said lyrics are certainly not lacking in his usual punch. Next comes Goodbye Mr. Blue, a heart-wrenching tale about a cat, the last remnant of a failed relationship between a couple, who dies in its owner’s arms. Accompanied with melancholic, Harry Nilsson-esque music, Goodbye Mr. Blue is seemingly a bridge between the indie folk we heard on Fear Fun and I Love You, Honeybear and this ‘new’ sound.
Halfway through the album, however, we get to what is not just the best song on the album, but is quite simply one of Father John Misty’s best songs: Buddy’s Rendezvous. A wistful, sad, and bitter tale of an ex-convict, newly released, waiting for his daughter in a dive bar. The song is redolent of the ‘lounge-bar ballad’ that so typified Pure Comedy and God’s Favourite Customer, but the added orchestral backing raises the song to a more theatrical height. The whole song feels like a cigarette smoke-filled noir film, and Misty’s soft, mournful voice just further adds to the sad, longing nature of the track.
Throughout my listening to the album, I could not help but see the parallels between Chloë and the Next 20th Century and Tranquillity Base Hotel and Casino by Arctic Monkeys. Perhaps not musically similar, but thematically the albums share so much. Both concept albums marked a huge change of pace from the artist’s typical songs, both new albums characterised by lounge singer-esque vocals with postmodern and surreal lyrics. I believe that, like Tranquillity Base, Chloë will require multiple listens to truly cement itself amongst fans of Father John Misty. However like Tranquillity Base was for Arctic Monkeys, it is a huge change of pace for Father John Misty, and I can definitely understand this album not being as well-received by as previous releases by many.
For me, though, Chloë and the Next 20th Century contains some of Father John Misty’s best work. Proving he is not limited to just putting ironic and indulgent rants to music, Chloë offers something new for fans and newcomers alike, and cements Tillman’s position as one of the finest lyricists of his generation. An easy album of the year contender, Chloë is a must-listen.
Album Rating: 5/5