Father John Misty - "Nancy From Now On"

Josh Tillman stepped out from his Fleet Foxes drumming duties earlier this year to further pursue his solo endeavors, the latest output of which is his debut under the alias Father John Misty. The record, Fear Fun, was recorded with and produced by Jonathan Wilson—a big-time favorite here—in his Echo Park studio. I've seen Tillman perform both with the Fleet Foxes and solo with just an acoustic guitar, and though always a tremendous talent, it's safe to say nothing of his has sounded quite like this before. These songs are exciting, lush, fully formed, fully realized, and wholly out of this world.

Tillman explains the new sound and narrative of his music as the result of a journey he took to find his voice, or more literally: "I got into my van with enough mushrooms to choke a horse and started driving down the coast with nowhere to go." From there he started writing ("enough to fill a novel"), and the music followed soon after. Though "Hollywood Forever Cemetary Sings" is a nice single, it's the second offering from Fear Fun, "Nancy From Now On," that more accurately hints at the devilishly playful and true variegated heart of the record: from the circusy organ intro to the evocative lyrics ("I've got my right hand stamped in the concentration camp where my organs scream "slow down, man!") and smoldering falsetto and harmony drenched chorus. And if that isn't the hook, line, and sinker right there, just try and wrap your brain around the gorgeous and fiendishly demented art of Dima Drjuchin.

Fear Fun is out May 1st on Sub Pop.

Father John Misty - "Nancy From Now On" (from Fear Fun)