It was only a couple of months ago that I was raving about his greatest hits record and here we are with a new Father John Misty album in front of us. Mahashmashana, out tomorrow on Sub Pop here in the USA, signals the start of a new era for Josh Tillman (AKA Father John Misty), even as there's one carryover song from the Best Of-LP on this one. In broader terms, this new record is more broadly-pitched than anything Tillman's done so far, with a big picture-appeal to the tracks that is likely to draw even more listeners in to Josh's POV. And that's probably a good thing in these troubled times.
The epic title cut, named after a Sanskrit word for a cremation ground, apparently, is a survey of the hollowness around us. It's a reckoning with the possibility of nothingness staring us in the face, even as there's something hopeful in the central, ascending melodic figure. "She Cleans Up" and "Josh Tillman and the Accidental Dose" are funky, lean, and precise. These are the pieces of Mahashmashana which feel closest to what's come before, and are likely to please most those long-time fans of Misty's, just like the Nilsson-y "Mental Health" charmed this relatively-new fan.
The epic "Screamnland", with guitar from Alan Sparhawk of Low, opens up new vistas for Tillman. With lyrics like the title of this review, and "The optimist swears hope dies last", this is stuff that really seems in its way to be aiming big. That Josh can pull this off without looking ridiculous is why I love him. There's a real heart-on-the-sleeve innocence to this that blends nicely with the sort of wide-eyed awareness of the awfulness of this world that runs parallel to that. Musically, this might be the richest composition here, with washes of guitar-noise carrying this up, even as Tillman's vocals retain an intimacy in spots that gives chills. This one, the title cut, and Best Of-holdover "I Guess Time Just Makes Fools Of Us All" are the anchors of this record, giving Mahashmashana real scope and vision.
And if that was the whole record, Mahashmashana would still be impressive, but the record closes with "Summer's Gone", quite possibly Tillman's finest ballad to date. Blending strings like something off a Randy Newman or Van Dyke Parks record, and vocals as warm as those of Rufus Wainwright, Father John Misty puts it all into the song. Achingly beautiful, and wonderfully resigned to the world's vagaries, the composition stands as one of the very best pieces of music I've heard in 2024. If my review of Mahashmashana was a positive one before now, this cut's effect on me pushes this review into the rave territory.
Mahashmashana by Father John Misty will be out on Friday via Sub Pop in the USA, and on Bella Union in the UK, Europe, etc.
[Photo: Brent Goldman]