Father John Misty – Chloë and the Next 20th Century

Josh Tillman’s latest release under his notoriously self-indulgent Father John Misty moniker marks a refreshing change in direction: privileging the music far above the man

Album Review by Bethany Davison | 04 Apr 2022
  • Father John Misty - Chloë and the Next 20th Century
Album title: Chloë and the Next 20th Century
Artist: Father John Misty
Label: Bella Union
Release date: 8 Apr

Chloë and the Next 20th Century is, above all else, characterised by its consistent run of beautiful arrangements. Josh Tillman’s BBC Radio 6 Music residency figures as the best glimpse to the reasoning behind the breadth of the album; his playlists satiated with a nostalgia that seems to drive this alternate universe gilded by cinematic and orchestral snapshots of a century in Hollywood. 

Tillman’s alternate 20th century is set in motion by opening track Chloë, a playful and theatrical grasp at swing. Other significant moments are the brassy Buddy’s Rendevous, and the string arrangements throughout Q4.

Compared to Tillman’s previous releases as Father John Misty, Chloë and the Next 20th Century feels like an immense achievement musically, while not wholly dropping the cynical and whimsical elements of his songwriting. Goodbye Mr. Blue is an ode to love and loss, gravitating around a dead cat; The Next 20th Century is a seven-minute denouement that resolves more than just this record, as it ends with a declaration that seems to move against the themes that have consolidated Tillman’s tenure as the painter of modern love: 'I don’t know about you / But I’ll take the love songs / And the great distance that they came'.

Listen to: Chloë, Q4

http://fatherjohnmisty.com