Contrary to what this title might lead you to believe, I am still living in Cleveland. However, I have moved sites! New blog posts (and a fancy new photo gallery) can be found here. I haven't bought the domain name just yet, but hopefully by the end of the year I will.
As always, thanks for reading and supporting me! Enjoy the new site.
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Album Review: Pure Comedy, Father John Misty
On April 7th, Father John Misty's third studio album Pure Comedy was released. What truly makes this album is not the melodies themselves, but rather the lyrics. This album holds messages pertinent to today's society, especially when it comes to being human.
Pure Comedy may sound soft and ballad-y, but underneath tunes that seem gentle lie bombs of truth. Josh Tillman critiques today's society throughout each song, from political standpoints to the technology takeover. The album begins with the title track that sets the tone for the entire album: human existence is comedy. Suffering makes us feel alive; we take pleasure in things that harm us, but ultimately, we only have each other in the world.
What artists doesn't comment on what they know? Tillman does not leave out American politics and viewpoints when he wrote this album. "Two Widely Different Perspectives" comments on the differences of conservatives and liberals, labels that are becoming more and more relevant with each passing election. The increase in technology and probability of it one day becoming the only source of happiness as it takes us out of our own mundane lives is brought up in "Total Entertainment Forever". "The Memo" focuses on various issues in America, such as technology, social media and narcissism, and even how commercial boy bands have become.
Of course, this album is not just a statement on humanity as a whole. "Smoochie" is a sweet tune that explains how Tillman's wife helps him cope with his depression.
Compared to I Love You, Honeybear and Fear Fun, the album is much longer. I was not too keen on how long "Leaving LA" and "So I'm Growing Old on Magic Mountain" were. The chorus in "Magic Mountain"ended up feeling too repetitive, and "Leaving LA" used the same melody for nearly every verse; this made it feel as if I had those songs on repeat. Other than those, the song lengths were fine.
Rate: 7.5/10
Favorite tunes: "Things It Would Have Been Helpful to Know Before the Revolution", "In Twenty Years or So"
Pure Comedy may sound soft and ballad-y, but underneath tunes that seem gentle lie bombs of truth. Josh Tillman critiques today's society throughout each song, from political standpoints to the technology takeover. The album begins with the title track that sets the tone for the entire album: human existence is comedy. Suffering makes us feel alive; we take pleasure in things that harm us, but ultimately, we only have each other in the world.
What artists doesn't comment on what they know? Tillman does not leave out American politics and viewpoints when he wrote this album. "Two Widely Different Perspectives" comments on the differences of conservatives and liberals, labels that are becoming more and more relevant with each passing election. The increase in technology and probability of it one day becoming the only source of happiness as it takes us out of our own mundane lives is brought up in "Total Entertainment Forever". "The Memo" focuses on various issues in America, such as technology, social media and narcissism, and even how commercial boy bands have become.
Of course, this album is not just a statement on humanity as a whole. "Smoochie" is a sweet tune that explains how Tillman's wife helps him cope with his depression.
Compared to I Love You, Honeybear and Fear Fun, the album is much longer. I was not too keen on how long "Leaving LA" and "So I'm Growing Old on Magic Mountain" were. The chorus in "Magic Mountain"ended up feeling too repetitive, and "Leaving LA" used the same melody for nearly every verse; this made it feel as if I had those songs on repeat. Other than those, the song lengths were fine.
Rate: 7.5/10
Favorite tunes: "Things It Would Have Been Helpful to Know Before the Revolution", "In Twenty Years or So"
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