Laneway aptly marked it’s humble beginnings in a Melbourne laneway in 2005. It has since built a reputation as a festival with it’s finger firmly on the pulse of the music industry, despite canning one of Australia’s foremost up-and-coming artists from the bill this year (cc: Kirin J Callinan).
Nevertheless, we savour the release of each lineup with intense anticipation because the event delivers a solid slew of talent from around the world every single year; from artists who we don’t usually see in this neck of the woods, to absolute crowd favourites we can’t get enough of.
Part II had us at Mac DeMarco, who is and always will be a festival favourite with his random tangents, on-stage quirks and warm adoration for his fans. We caught the enigmatic Moses Sumney next who walked out in a black cloak, surrounded in mystery. Anderson .Paak and his band The Free Nationals were arguably the most anticipated act of the day and they delivered in droves. BADBADNOTGOOD served up some sonic smoothness before we caught Father John Misty changing guitars several times due to technical difficulties. “I think ODESZA has, like 60 acoustic guitars. How can I compete?” And, on cue, the Seattle producers took the Garden Stage with their shiny new drumline (sans the guitars) and gave us a taste of their impeccable live show.
Then we headed over for POND who never fail to amaze, with manic frontman Nic Allbrook fawning over the stage and amongst the crowd all at once. Thirsty for some heavy electronica, TOKiMONSTA’s set was exactly what we ordered before we rounded out the night the only way one should, with a wall of hot shoegaze and Slowdive came correct. Another hectic time full of unforgettable moments.
Until next year, Laneway.
Photos: Dani Hansen
Mac DeMarco
Moses Sumney
Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals
BADBADNOTGOOD
Father John Misty
ODESZA
POND
TOKiMONSTA
Slowdive
Photos: Dani Hansen/Howl & Echoes
A week after announcing a new album Pure Comedy and releasing new single of the same name, Father John Misty has returned with a second offering, Ballad of the Dying Man.
So far, the two singles released showcase a familiar yet expanded take on the folksy sound his fans know and love. The new single’s title is pretty telling; set to an easygoing, pop-soul melody which later breaks out into gospel-style backing vocals, Josh Tillman delivers assorted pertinent comments on social value and priorities by narrating the story of the dying man. It’s all a little bleak, perhaps even a tad Black Mirror: “Eventually the dying man takes his final breath, but first checks his newsfeed to see what he’s about to miss. It occurs to him only late in the game, we leave as clueless as we came.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVaafph6HSQ
The album is to be the highly anticipated follow-up to 2014’s acclaimed I Love You Honeybear, which provided Tillman with a platform to project his distinctive, notably self-aware, darkly comic persona to the masses.
The album was written in 2015 and was co-produced by Tillman and Jonathan Wilson. The album title comes as no surprise, considering his comedic antics – notably his stage banter, joke-y jingles and troll pranks – have probably done more for his career his music.
Pure Comedy, which is a massive 75 minutes long, will be released on April 7, 2017 via Sub Pop/Inertia.
Father John Misty
Pure Comedy tracklist
1. Pure Comedy
2. Total Entertainment Forever
3. Things It Would Have Been Helpful to Know Before The Revolution
4. Ballad of the Dying Man
5. Birdie
6. Leaving LA
7. A Bigger Paper Bag
8. When The God of Love Returns There’ll Be Hell to Pay
9. Smoochie
10. Two Wildly Different Perspectives
11. The Memo
12. So I’m Growing old on Magic Mountain
13. In Twenty Years or So
Album artwork: Ed Steed
Cover image: Guy Lowndes
Last night on the American series of musical talent show The Voice, a murder was committed. It was a graphic affair, an utter butchering. The victim? Father John Misty‘s 2012 masterpiece Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings. And who was the culprit? Well that would be contestant Aaron Gibson, whose rendition of the song sounded more like the death-knell of a Nickelback/Bon Jovi karaoke tribute band than anything close to music. But while this is an extreme example of the problem with many musical talent shows, should we really be surprised?
First a look at the performance itself. It was terrible. No two ways about it, it was just uncomfortable, from the overly gravelly lead vocals that obscured the lyrics to the hilariously woeful gospel-esque backing singers, to the decision to switch the folksy for a heavier, metal-leaning sound was inspired, sure, but it didn’t really work. Basically, it is a mess.
https://youtu.be/BJSvFX829PA
And Father John Misty picked up on it all, writing in a (now deleted) Facebook post “why God why.”
What followed It was then replaced with a series of sarcastic posts likening musical talent shows to politics, and people’s votes.
While hilarious, Father John Misty’s comments have a point: musical talent shows can be ridiculous, humiliating, destructive and plain stupid. Mnay people hate them, not because of some self-righteous belief about the sanctity of music, or some misguided idea that popular music is inherently shit. We hate them because they place technical aptness over any sense of creativity or artistic cohesion. Shows like The Voice or The X Factor give the wrong impression that a singer needs to be able to have insane range or be able to hit a crazy amount of notes in such a short space of time. All sense of theme goes out the window when the contestants’ sole purpose is to impress people with their voice rather than actually make music that sounds good to listen to.
Compare the atrocious cover with Father John Misty’s own version, and you’ll see what I mean.
https://youtu.be/a9zs_PsDvtQ
The man send shivers down your spine with just a guitar and his voice. He holds notes, instead of fluctuating all over the place. It’s raw, and it’s cohesive. Maximalism only works when all the elements are working together and fit with each other. Chucking gospel backing singers with a metal-esque aesthetic and a voice so gravelly it sounds like a Gears of War character does not work. At all. And if you want good music to come out of a talent show, you need to start showing off artistic talent rather than technical prowess. Making something genuine has much more of “The X Factor” than being able to show massive range in the span of a 2 minute song.
And look, I don’t want to shit on Aaron Gibson too much. I’m sure that many, if not all, of the design choices behind that performance were out of his hands. And I get that life as a Shill-fish can be nice and easy. But anyone who thought that cover was a good idea was severely misguided. Ultimately, this song was another (albeit extreme) example of the utter disregard talent shows have for artistic expression.
Image: Emma Garr
For all of his hilarious and weird social media antics, his heartfelt speeches delivered to bewildered in lieu of performances, and generally trolling the entire entertainment industry, it can sometimes be easy to forget that Father John Misty is actually here because he’s a pretty great musician.
We haven’t heard much official new music since the release of his wonderful 2015 album I Love You, Honeybear (unless you count that wonderful Rihanna cover), but today that changes, with the official release of new single Real Love Baby. The track was actually first shared to FJM’s Soundcloud a couple months ago, but now the official, final, mastered version has been posted to Sub Pop’s Youtube page.
When he first released the song back in May, he told fans that t would not appear on any upcoming album, so it’ll be interesting to see if this really does end up as a standalone single, considering it’s now been mastered and released by his label.
https://youtu.be/IOspC5B69L4
Father John Misty toured Australia late last year and has made himself something a musical class clown ever since. Recently, he was announced as one of a few celebrities cast members to appear on a new Adult Swim film, the first episode of which has just been released, and features narration from Outkast‘s Andre 3000.
Image: Billboard
Father John Misty, Andre 3000 and Lizzo will make guest appearances on a new Adult Swim cartoon. Brad Neely’s Harg Nallin’ Sclopio Peepio stars Ilana Glazer (Broad City) and Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) amongst many others in its regular cast.
The musicians are set to appear in their own individual episodes, where they will also perform songs. Show creator, Brad Neely, has written all of them for the cartoon, which has been described as a, “quarter-hour animated sketch show. It will feature a collection of frenetic one-off bits, shorts, and songs all filtered through Neely’s signature visual style.”
Speaking to AWN about what to expect from the show Neely said, “They should expect endless variety. Lots and lots of little bits crammed in. And lots of music.”
“I wrote around 100 songs. About 60 or 70 made it into the 10 episodes. Music is a huge part of the show. This was an opportunity for me to make a lot of music and have fun people sing my songs.”
The cartoon will be Neely’s second show for Adult Swim, with his previous one being China, IL. During the same interview the creator went on to explain the reasons behind the highly unusual name for his second project.
“It’s intentionally meaningless. We tried some titles that had meaning, but this one just made us laugh.”
Hip hop artist Lizzo also talked about her role in the show when she said that she was, “really excited about being a cartoon. This won’t be the last time I do it though,” she told City Pages. “I’m just exploring what it means to be me.”
The 2-D comedy series, which was produced by Titmouse, will premiere on Adult Swim on Sunday July 10th.
You can watch a short trailer for Brad Neely’s Harg Nallin’ Sclopio Peepio below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufnj9F3fl-4
Image: Adult Swim
Following a few vaguely suspect creative efforts (or trolling) from Father John Misty – “rejected” Pandora Promos, “official lyrics” for the House Of Cards theme, an apparent demo for a Toyota Prius Commercial – the US artist has shared a beautiful new song via Soundcloud. Real Love Baby appeared just yesterday, accompanied by the unarguable description, “why not.”
The track is a swaying, easy slice of retro pop, with more of a similar style to his 2015 album I Love You, Honeybear, bringing together hints of flower power pop and soft rock. Acoustic strumming is interlaced with roots influenced percussion, classic 60’s shakers and doo-wop style electric guitars. Dreamy and drenched in sunshine, the near-psychedelic flower power feel stops just short of sickeningly sweet.
So far, Real Love Baby remains free of any apparent branding hints. But the Father did follow up the track with a Twitter update, confirming that the song will not feature on his next record. As he says himself, this may not be a main release but it’s a great track, so why not? The song has gone down well with fans so far, who have commented with praise like “real love this baby” (we see what you did there) and a declaration that “Father John Misty is my spirit animal.” Also the slightly more worrying, if complimentary, “thanks sexy grandpa i adore you.”
RLB is not on the record, it’s just a thing. Tommy from The Budos Band on guit. Have a good summer
— FARMER JAH MISERY (@fatherjohnmisty) May 19, 2016
The singer also tweeted that Thomas Brenneck of the Budos Band contributed a guitar part to Real Love Baby. Father John Misty is currently on tour in Europe, with dates in the US from June through to September.
Listen to Real Love Baby below.
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Image: Sub Pop
I’m not a huge fan of mashups, but sometimes they just get me. There are some truly amazing ones floating around on the internet, like this Notorious BIG x FKA twigs collection, or this Biggie vs Bowie tribute (both made by the same person, NYC producer Terry Urban). Now, another New York producer has sent a mashup out into the world – this time with Drake and Father John Misty.
Yuri Beats shared the mix directly with FJM this morning, tweeting him on Twitter that he made his and Drake’s songs “be friends.” Combining Drake’s Legend and FJM’s Holy Shit, the results are a weirdly delicate take on Drake’s braggadocio, making it a much more intimate affair.
“I’m a huge fan of Drake and Father John Misty. Both ‘Legend’ and ‘Holy Shit’ really touched a nerve for me,” the producer told Noisey. “They both manage to articulate something beautiful and painful that really resonated with me.”
And, the verdict from the two artists in question? Whilst The 6 God may be too busy to respond right now considering his album is just about to drop, Father John Misty bestowed the highest of honours, calling the mix “Lit”. Check the track out for yourself here.
https://www.facebook.com/fatherjohnmisty/posts/984621804978737
Image: Complex
North Carolina has been under some serious heat lately following its controversial anti-LGBT “bathroom bill”. Passed last month, the bill prevents local governments from passing their own anti-discrimination laws, therefore demanding that transgender people use bathrooms and locker rooms corresponding to their “biological sex.”
However, the music industry is not taking to this lightly. The likes of Bruce Springsteen, Boston, Pearl Jam and Ringo Starr and many more have cancelled their shows in the state as a sign of support for those who are directly affected by the laws. Unlike them however, folk singer-songwriter and apparent Taylor Swift fan Joshua Tillman, aka Father John Misty has instead decided to go ahead with his show and donate all proceeds from his Charlotte concert to Time Out Youth, an LGBT support centre based in the city.
“The bill is obviously bullshit. [If] I thought playing a show for my fans in North Carolina was in any way some tacit endorsement of this fearful, petty, ignorant nonsense, I wouldn’t.”
“This show represents a start in investing in the plight of other Americans.”
Tillman joins the likes of Against Me!, Cyndi Lauper, Duran Duran and Mumford & Sons in using the scheduled performance to protest and raise awareness and funds against the bill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khk77JHALmU
Read the Tillman’s full statement below:
The bill is obviously bullshit. [If] I thought playing a show for my fans in North Carolina was in any way some tacit endorsement of this fearful, petty, ignorant nonsense, I wouldn’t. I also play states that have oppressive drug laws designed to imprison the disenfranchised, rig elections, deny women their dignity, defend the reckless and insane practice of selling guns and sustain a permanent underclass with hypocritical, opportunist readings of archaic documents written by land-stealers who never intended political privilege to extend past their buddies. These are obviously all huge systemic problems. But for me, this show represents a start in investing in the plight of other Americans.
Image: Rolling Stone
Father John Misty is one helluva dude. From his hilarious Instagram account to fake Pandora ads, from made-up dreams about Lou Reed to live-tweeting a Tinder date, from starring in Lana Del Rey vids to covering Rihanna, you can’t help but love his personality, regardless of your thoughts on his wistful folk tunes.
He recently revealed that the inspiration for the aforementioned Lana Del Rey video, Freak, was inspired by seeing taylor Swift live, while tripping on acid. He’s now detailed that experience a little more – and the results, obviously, are wonderful.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, he divulged (vie Stereogum):
“The last time I took a hero’s dose of LSD was at a Taylor Swift concert in Australia. She was playing in Melbourne, and I met a bunch of people from her crew at a bar, and they invited me to the show. I got my tour manager to get me some acid: “This is written in the stars. I’m supposed to go take acid at this Taylor Swift concert…
I experienced the show like an eight-year-old girl — as much as that’s possible for a 35-year-old man. It was holy. It was psychedelic. She fully impregnated my dilated soul with her ideology. I remember laughing uncontrollably. I remember going outside for a smoke and thinking, “I need to get back in there.”
But there was a disturbing aspect — this insistence on telling girls, “I’m normal, don’t let anyone tell you what you should be.” Meanwhile, there are 60-foot-high images of her on screens. If you wanted to curate an evening with the Grand Leader, this is what you would do. It’s a very, very false normal. And that’s dangerous.”
Last year (at least two months before the Taylor-in-Melbourne-on-acid incident, for the record) saw FJM release two covers of Taylor Swift songs – or, rather, covers of Ryan Adams’ covers of Taylor Swift songs, done in the style of The Velvet Underground. He then took them down, having claimed that Lou Reed told him to do so in a dream, and then came out with a hilariously anti-establishment explanation about how it was all one big joke on the media and music industry.
To be honest, we’re cool with not knowing or understanding pretty much anything going on here. That’s how Father John Misty rolls, and that’s why we love him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khk77JHALmU
Image: Billboard
Today saw Rihanna releasing the sensual, seductive video for recent single Kiss It Better, off her wonderful new album ANTI. In particularly relevant news, folk’s funny man Father John Misty has performed his own version of the supple pop number live on stage.
While Father John Misty, real name Josh Tillman, already brought his I Love You, Honeybear tour to Australia last year, the 2016 US leg kicked off last night in Santa Ana, California.
To celebrate the momentous occasion (or more likely, just for shits ‘n giggles,) he delivered a soulful, and honestly quite lovely version of the Rihanna track. Rich and guitar-laden, it’s a legitimately cool reimagining of the song – but you can’t help but laugh, considering it’s a bearded folk singer crooning, “Boy you know that you always do it right / Man, fuck your pride / Just take it on back, boy take it on back boy / Take it back all night… Mmm, do what you gotta do, keep me up all night”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKxDJJ5JBvs
Father John Misty is no stranger to comedy antics. Earlier this year, he released a hilarious series of fake advertisements for streaming service Pandora, and his Instagram account has become a source of LOLs for thousands of fans. Most recently, he live tweeted a really bad Tinder date that he was observing at a bar.
Read our review of Rihanna’s ANTI
Image: NME