If the 90’s Seattle sound was all about the grunge scene, from 2000 til today, it’s become a honing ground for the singer/songwriter. Sub Pop records is notorious for exploiting the sound of their native city and state, Seatle, Washington. Artists like Bright Eyes, Iron & Wine, and Damien Jurado have launched careers with the Sub Pop name, and some continue to further their name via that label. Joshua Tillman, known here as Father John Misty, has released his latest retrospect album, Fear Fun, via the Sub Pop name, furthering the quality of product that they continue to put out.

The opening to the liner notes of Fear Fun reads like an inspiring quote from a novel. But instead of inspiring, depressing comes to mind; from Octave Mirbeau, a French journalist, he describes the struggle of humanity trying to rectify lies from truth, and how they suck the joy out of humanity. The imagery fits in that milieu, often incorporating death to man, struggling to live on and in living is reminiscent of a Hollywood zombie. Influentially, Tillman sounds like The Beatles and Harry Nilsson did the album that they should have, but decided to focus on the Seattle singer/songwriter genre instead.

Father John incorporates a few tricks that he learned from his time with the indie folk group Fleet Foxes (You’ve heard of them, right? You haven’t?!?! What, have you been living under a rock?!), particularly on tracks like “Funtimes in Babylon,” “Only Son of the Ladiesman,” and the closing track “Everyman Needs a Companion,” where hymnal harmonies play a big part. “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings” has a lot in common with former label darlings The Shins; the track’s loud, laid back guitars and drums is very reminiscent of that Shins staple sound and serves as the albums most “radio friendly” track (fuck radio, but still a great song.). The subsequent track, “I’m Writing a Novel” is a Naked Lunch kind of track, that tells the story of a man, talking to dogs, telling people to get out of there homes, on his strange and spectacular journey. The guitar track feels like it could have come right from early sixties Beatles work.

The album doesn’t tire from there, it’s cycle of “Misty’s Nightmares” tracks, consisting of three parts, are realistic travesty’s that everyone has faced; longing, rejection, and and the desire to get back to where you once were, in a Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind kind of way.  The album’s stand out masterpiece is “Now I’m Learning to Love the War;” a song about how our overuse of oil has it’s privileges. To any music fan, who doesn’t LOVE the smell, the feel and more importantly the sound of vinyl? This generation has made this music medium it’s vintage fantasy, and in it’s resurgence has seen a boom in sales. Also noted on this track are artists who use oils to paint canvasses, do we hold them responsible? The seductive nature, and the title reference to the Iraq war makes for a great commentary track on America’s great obsession.

Tillman has had a long solo career before Fleet Foxes, but this project and this album stand out exponentially, compared to his previous work. His time in Fleet Foxes has made for great influences, but his ability to channel the most ordinary of influences like Harry Nilsson, The Beatles, Nick Drake, and others into a fresh perspective is where this album shines and climbs the heights of Everest. In short, Father John Misty has created an album, that will make him a little less harder to miss in the lineup of Fleet Foxes.

Album Rating: Buy is on CD or Vinyl

Listening co-efficient: Active Listen

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