Arthur Welch

Father John Misty - 'God's Favorite Customer' // Album Review

Genre - Signer-Songwriter, Contemporary Folk Release Date - June 1, 2018 Father John Misty is the pseudonym for California based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, Josh Tillman. It has been quite the interesting past couple of years for Josh artistically. It seemed as if every single time a new Father John Misty album was released, it had its own distinct style and feeling. His debut album in 2012, Fear Fun, was a series of lighthearted and often quirky songs picking fun at the entertainment industry, while his sophomore effort, 2015’s I Love You Honeybear, was a much more focused album portraying Josh’s feelings on modern love and things of that nature. Both of these albums I enjoy very much for different reasons, but Josh didn’t really blow me away until he came out with last year’s Pure Comedy. A record that shifted Josh’s focus more towards a politically charged angle without sacrificing what made him such an endearing songwriter to begin with. The songs on Pure Comedy were a lot more intricate in their design and structure, which turned some of his older fans off, which evidently is something he sings about on this new album on the track “The Songwriter.” I, however, was instantly captivated by Josh’s emotion and witty songwriting coming to light in a more serious atmosphere than what he had experimented with before. I feel like Pure Comedy is without a doubt the best written album of 2017 and a look into any of the songs on it is a clear indicator why.