Joshua Tillman is your basic aimless white boy who washed up in Seattle in the early ’00s and started writing songs. (Kinda like me, if blog posts were songs.) He released a series of solo albums under the moniker J. Tillman and started opening for like-minded whispery experimental folkies like Damien Jurado.
From 2008 to 2011, he played drums for Fleet Foxes, and while his role in that band was never particularly significant, "member of Fleet Foxes" definitely served to raise his profile.
His latest album, Fear Fun, is out under a brand new name: Father John Misty. It’s a bit of a departure, far more muscular, straightforward, and tuneful than his previous work, though the undercurrent of Americana remains. It’s strong from start to finish, and his voice has never sounded better — there’s some Roy Orbison in there, but also some grit. Plus: the beard.
This song is called "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings."
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BONUS VIDEO!
Here’s the video for that same song, starring the object of every modern nerd’s fondest fantasies, Park and Rec‘s Aubrey Plaza.
