Father John Misty
's combination of caustic wit and staggering talent as both a vocalist and songwriter has resulted in a catalog of varied, consistently strong albums, but he reaches new levels of refinement and grandeur on fifth album
Chloe and the Next 20th Century
. With earlier output,
Misty
(aka
Josh Tillman
) put his bile-dripping storytelling and darkly comical character sketches at the forefront of his songs, using instrumentation as an accessory for his scathing commentary and depraved character sketches. This took the form of epic, sometimes overblown production on 2017's
Pure Comedy
and stripped-down, vocals-forward rock on 2018's
God's Favorite Customer
.
, however, is a softer, more thoughtful reading on
FJM
's sound, toning down his often ugly observations by letting gorgeous orchestral arrangements and gently beautiful songwriting occupy equal space with his persona. The Tin Pan Alley instrumentation that starts the album on jaunty opener "Chloe" sets a tone of timelessness, as it draws on the carefree, strolling energy of '70s songwriters like
Randy Newman
and
Harry Nilsson
, softening the snark and vitriol of
Tillman
's typically sharp lyrical content. "Goodbye Mr. Blue" goes so far as to rework
Nilsson
's 1968 hit "Everybody's Talkin'," sounding dangerously close to the original, but with lyrics about a couple uncomfortably coming back together over the death of their cat. "Funny Girl" is similarly ornate, with cinematic touches supporting a loungey lope.
explores torch song territory on the sweetly sad "Buddy's Rendezvous" and a bossa nova sway on "Olvidado (Otro Momento)." While the arrangements on 2015's
I Love You, Honeybear
could be similarly grand at times,
has never turned in anything as ambitious as the impeccable sonic tailoring of
. Fans who fell in love with
's sharp social commentary will find plenty to hone in on, but the lush sounds take some of the bite out of his clever barbs and cynical perspectives on love and connection. Even with the strong, considered design of his previous albums,
has never sounded so pleasant. ~ Fred Thomas