Albumdata
| Artist | Father John Misty |
| Album | Mahashmashana |
| Year of release | 2024 |
Rating
Introduction
Album number six by Father John Misty, a silent favorite of mine. In general, his records are imbued with cosy self-mockery, sadness, social criticism and distant considerations. Is it any different this time around?
Route to Mahashmashana
On July 31, 2024, Father John Misty (real name Josh Tillman) released the compilation Greatish Hits: I Followed My Dreams And My Dreams Said To Crawl, which included one new song: I Guess Time Just Makes Fools Of Us All. It turned out to be the prelude to the new Father John Misty album Mahashmashana which was released on November 22, 2024.
In the wake of the upcoming album two singles were released, Screamland (September 17, 2024) and She Cleans Up (October 15, 2024). Also, a tour to promote Mahashmashana was announced. The song Josh Tillman And The Accidental Dose was released as a single as well, which had been premiered live as far back as April 19, 2023.
The album titel Mahashmashana is a bastardization of the Sanskrit word Mahāśmaśāna (महाश्मशान), which stands for “great cremation ground”.
Father John Misty – Mahashmashana
Review
Only eight songs, 50 minutes’ worth of music, and it’s gorgeous. The new Father John Misty is pure (pop)pleasure. Orechestral, grand and yet also small, vulnerable and raw. The overarching theme is death, isn’t life nothing more than the route to inevitable death?
That may sound heavy, but Father John Misty’s musings bring about a smile and chuckle here and there. The lushly orchestrated opener, the album’s title song, even calls to “Do the corpse dance”. The bluesy She Cleans Up starts off with the image of Mary Magdalene suddenly realizing what Good Friday actually means for her son, and deciding the consequences are far too brutal. Mental Health poses the question whether or not lunacy isn’t anyhting more than a helpful way of realizing your true desires: “Oh, insanity babe it’s indispensable / For the true endeavour of your soul”.
In Screamland Father John Misty wonders “Since I lied to keep you, I’m starting to feel / Like how long can you love someone for the weakness they conceal” (the last line ‘borrowed’ from Bob Dylan’s When He Returns). On September 25, 2024, Father John Misty introduced the song Being You as follows:
I don’t mind telling you that I had a bit of a five year fugue state after 2016 where I found it basically impossible to relate to human beings, or my mind self. I went into what Gen-Z-ers are calling a “dissociative state,” and I thought that would make a great hit song.
In I Guess Time Just Makes Fools Of Us All he addresses the true story that Rolling Stone magazine called him “the least famous person” to ever refuse to be on the cover: “Go and serve your client notice / That of all the young gods that I have known / Yours is easily the least famous / To turn down the cover of the Rolling Stone”. The closing Summer’s Gone ends with the line “And time can’t touch me”. What is it exactly that Father John Misty actually says here? Does he transcend death? Is it a Biblical reference to immortality? Or is it an inside joke, after all “time just makes fools of us all”?
Father John Misty – Mahashmashana – Back cover
Songs
All songs written by Josh Tillman, unless stated otherwise.
- Mahashmashana
- She Cleans Up (music: Josh Tillman, Oskar Carls, Pelle Gunnerfeldt, Linus Hillborg, Henrik Höckert, Elias Jungqvist, Sebastian Murphy, Tor Sjödén)
- Josh Tillman and the Accidental Dose
- Mental Health (music: Josh Tillman, Drew Erickson)
- Screamland
- Being You (music: Josh Tillman, Zach Tillman, David Vandervelde)
- I Guess Time Just Makes Fools Of Us All
- Summer’s Gone (music: Josh Tillman, Drew Erickson)
Musicians
- Josh Tillman – vocals, performance
- Alan Sparhawk – guitar on Screamland
- Drew Erickson, Jonathan Wilson, Dan Bailey, Eli Thomson, David Vandervelde, Chris Dixie Darley, Jon Titterington, Kyle Flynn – performance
Kendrick Lamar
On the same day that Father John Misty released his album, Kendrick Lamar announced at 6 PM CET, that his new album was now available. It wasn’t the first time that albums by both artists were (alomst) simultaneously released. Father John Misty tweeted “it’s okay only other times it’s happened was 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2022”, later adding:
Tweet 09/22/2024
In closing
What is your opinion on this album by Father John Misty? Let me know!
Video/Spotify
This story contains an accompanying video. Click on the following link to see it: Video: Father John Misty – Mahashmashana. The A Pop Life playlist on Spotify has been updated as well.
