Chloe And The Next 20th Century - Father John Misty: Review

Father John Misty

is the pseudonym of singer-songwriter Josh Tillman who has spent the last decade releasing some of the most acclaimed records in the world of indie. His satirical and comedic style is often a source of acclaim from critics as well as fans and his smart and conceptual style of writing is instantly recognizable. Chloe And The Next 20th Century is an instrumentally versatile concept album soaked in old Hollywood aesthetic and loosely following a character, the titular Chloe. 

Review By Lav:

I like Father John Misty even if I've been trying to shake a reputation as a hater among my friends for years now. The origin of that is that I didn't lump as much acclaim onto his fan favorite record I Love You, Honeybear back in 2015. I preferred his next project Pure Comedy which while hefty in length, was his smartest and most conceptual album to date. So seeing the defined aesthetic in the singles and music videos had me really excited for this project. Ultimately that excitement was well placed because this record shines even with a 50 minute runtime that feels, thorough. 

This record had 4 singles and 3 of them I fully enjoyed. Funny Girl is still one of my favorite singles of the year so far and it set up the records entire big band old Hollywood vibe. I'm not sure there's another single song on the record that is as indicative of its sound. It perfectly weaves its humor in with dashes of social commentary and pointed pop culture references all wrapped up in a wonderfully arranged and well performed ballad. I also really enjoyed Q4 which is probably the most exciting song on the record. The song portrays a whole downward spiral with a happy little song and dance in a way that is so endearing. The grand backing instrumental is infectious and I've had it on rotation since it first came out. 

The Next 20th Century is the longest track on the record and the albums closer. Despite all this if you put a gun to my head I could not tell you what exactly it's about. There are some parts of it that definitely tie up loose ends in the story and reference back to the opening song Chloe. But there is so much lyrical meandering on this track that I think it's impossible to follow unless your Josh himself. Despite the formless approach that track takes the actual lyrics themselves individually are totally intoxicating. I know I said this record has an issue with its length but this track isn't it, the song commands your attention throughout. 

There are still more highlights to explore starting right out the gate with Chloe. It's an absolutely swanky opening track that shows off Josh's wit and humor with a funny and detailed character portrait. The song hs a great big band instrumental and no shortage of catchy refrains which sets the tone for the vision that lasts throughout the record. Buddy's Rendezvous is great that's the only way I can start it off. It's a slinky late night ballroom kind of ballad but with a distinctive Father John Misty edge that makes it impossible to take anything at face value. It's such a funny combination because his performance really does come off as so genuine with one emotional and catchy refrain after another, this song rules. 

Olvidado is another song whose instrumentation grabs me immediately with its gentle bossa nova vibe and Josh actually doing some singing in Spanish. There are some good refrains but really its that great instrumental that steals the show and makes for one of the most pleasant listens I've ever heard in a Father John Misty song. The best of the deep cuts is We Could Be Strangers, the most catchy and instantaneous song on the entire record. While the bouncy keys and swelling strings are great the refrains are the songs real tour de force. Nearly everything Josh says gets ingrained into my head immediately and as a result I've been obsessed with this song since I first heard it. 

The one remaining single is Goodbye Mr. Blue, a folkier track that comedically frames a broken relationship through the image of a cat that was shared by the couple. It is once again hilarious and full of those songwritery details that really sell its authenticity. I will say the instrumentation is a bit slow developing and the extra strings that work their way in really take their time which does make the song feel like every second of its 5 minutes. The opposite problem is Only A Fool, the only song on the record whose kookiness transcends the bassline level of irony on a FJM record. I will say while it comes off a bit silly at first it does eventually improve even if the lyricism never falls back down to earth. 

The two songs I wasn't as crazy about come back to back with Kiss Me and (Everything But) Her Love. I've come around a bit to the former despite its slow development mostly because it's one of the better vocal performances Josh delivers. The latter is probably still my least favorite song on the record even though it has a catchy refrain or two and the keys get to me more than I'd like to admit. It just feels so linear, even though it works through different musical sections they rarely distinguish themselves. 

Chloe And The Next 20th Century is yet another enjoyable and consistent record from Father John Misty. Not only is it thematically consistent but sonically consistent as well with high quality songwriting and performances throughout. The glistening old Hollywood aesthetic is an intoxicating one and when Josh is milking it for the most humorous moments it's incredibly enjoyable. After a decade of music under the FJM name, Josh continues to find new directions to explore and new sounds to conquer with his trademark wit and distinctive voice. 8/10

Album Cover Review by Tyler Judson:

I really like this cover but there's a few things that I would change to make it more successful. The concept is great with the high contrast black and white. It's striking and the black edges will help integrate it into most backgrounds, making it more visible. What fails for me is the lack of depth. It's supposed to look like she's further back than him but instead without having a gradation on the ground it just looks like she's tiny. It's a simple problem that could have been fixed in composite. My eye moves through the piece easily and it's successful despite that small detail. 7.5/10

For more indie check out my review of Beach House's Once Twice Melody here