​Father John Misty (from the album Mahashmashana

​Father John Misty (from the album Mahashmashana

​Father John Misty (from the album Mahashmashana available on SubPop Records) (by Lee Zimmerman)
Joshua Michael Tillman, who operates under the ubiquitous handle of Father John Misty, might seem a somewhat elusive character, courtesy of a sardonic lyrical style and a musical approach that can easily veer from quirky Power Pop to a Nu-Folk regimen. Having originally gained his start as the drummer for Fleet Foxes, he went on to release eight albums under his birth name and another six under his adopted aegis over the course of the past dozen years. In the process, each became more exploratory and adventurous than the effort that came before. In addition, he’s toured as a hired hand for any number of other outfits, and, as a producer, has overseen albums by such stellar stars as Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey, and Madonna.
Happily, though, Tillman/Misty has never been content to simply sit behind the boards, and as the furtive Father’s new album, Mahashmasha, so ably demonstrates, his craft and creativity constantly cradle his output. While the title track opens the album with a majestic pomp and flourish, the other efforts that follow find him shifting his stance, from the click-clack rhythms of the tellingly-titled “John Tillman and the Accidental Dose” and the disco-centric “I Guess Time Just Makes Fools Of Us All” to the sweeping ballads “Mental Health” and “Summer’s Gone” as well as the solitary-sounding “Screamland”. 
Yet if the song titles hint at some unsettling underbelly, it’s the mystique not menace that takes center stage. That despite the fact that the word “Mahashmashana” means ‘cremation ground, all things put going thither’. Yet while the lyrics often sound as if they were sewn by a Dylan combine with the thoughtful musings of, say, a Paul Kelly or the imaginative story-telling of a Robyn Hitchcock, they find common ground in these grand and often over-the-top designs, Father John Misty remains his own man, an artist whose work fiercely defies any singular category or confines. His music is the product of sonic exploration and a fearless desire and determination to carve his own particular palette, regardless of the expectations of others.
In that regard, Mahashmasha, like each of the free-spirited releases that preceded it, is a spiritual statement that never needs to bypass an essential eloquence and emotion as well. It is, in short, another fine example of the craft and creativity the good Father freely offers his flock.  (by Lee Zimmerman)
Listen and buy the music of Father John Misty from AMAZON
For more information, please visit the Father John Misty website