Pure Comedy

Pure Comedy
Studio album by Father John Misty
Released April 7, 2017 (2017-04-07)
Recorded March 2016
Studio United Studios[1]
Genre
Length 74:17
Label Bella Union, Sub Pop
Producer Jonathan Wilson, Josh Tillman
Father John Misty chronology
I Love You, Honeybear
(2015)I Love You, Honeybear2015		 Pure Comedy
(2017)
Singles from Pure Comedy
  1. "Pure Comedy"
    Released: January 23, 2017
  2. "Two Wildly Different Perspectives"
    Released: January 30, 2017
  3. "Ballad of the Dying Man"
    Released: February 1, 2017
  4. "Total Entertainment Forever"
    Released: March 4, 2017

Pure Comedy is the third studio album by American folk musician Josh Tillman under his pseudonym Father John Misty. Its release was announced on January 23, 2017. It was released on April 7, 2017 on Bella Union in the UK and Europe and on Sub Pop in the rest of the world.[5] This is Tillman's third studio album since his departure from Fleet Foxes. It was produced by Josh Tillman in collaboration with Jonathan Wilson, sound engineer Trevor Spencer and composer/double-bassist Gavin Bryars.[5]

Production

Songwriting

Most of Pure Comedy was written in 2015.[6] It touches on themes of progress, technology, fame, the environment, politics, aging, social media, human nature, human connection and his own role in it all. Tillman included an 1800-word-long essay about its symbolism and meaning in the release announcement email to his fan club.

Pure Comedy is the story of a species born with a half-formed brain. The species’ only hope for survival, finding itself on a cruel, unpredictable rock surrounded by other species who seem far more adept at this whole thing (and to whom they are delicious), is the reliance on other, slightly older, half-formed brains. This reliance takes on a few different names as their story unfolds, like “love,” “culture,” “family,” etc. Over time, and as their brains prove to be remarkably good at inventing meaning where there is none, the species becomes the purveyor of increasingly bizarre and sophisticated ironies. These ironies are designed to help cope with the species’ loathsome vulnerability and to try and reconcile how disproportionate their imagination is to the monotony of their existence.[7]

Recording

Pure Comedy was recorded in March 2016 at United Recording Studios in Los Angeles. Its basic tracking and vocals were recorded live, in no more than two takes each. It was mixed by Tillman, Wilson and sound engineer Trevor Spencer, and mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios. Featured instruments include strings and horns. Bryars, along with additional contributors Nico Muhly and Thomas Bartlett, provided choral arrangements.[6]

Promotion

Short film

In light of the album announcement, Tillman released his 25-minute short film Pure Comedy: The Film, captured by a six-person room throughout the recording of the album.[8] He co-directed with Grant James. It is a monochromatic depiction of the live tracking and Tillman’s writing process.

Singles

The single "Pure Comedy" was released on January 23, 2017 with a music video animated by Matthew Daniel Siskin featuring snippets of popular Internet videos.[9]

The album's second single, "Two Wildly Different Perspectives", was released with a music video also animated by Siskin, and also containing popular videoclips, on January 30, 2017.[10]

The third single released was "Ballad of the Dying Man" on February 1, 2017.[11]

The fourth single, "Total Entertainment Forever", was released on the night it was performed on Saturday Night Live (along with "Pure Comedy") on March 4, 2017.[12]

Other music videos

On April 26, 2017, a music video produced by Adam Green was released for "Total Entertainment Forever". It features a crucified Macaulay Culkin as Kurt Cobain seen in a virtual reality world pictured in papier-mâché.

Jacknife Films , a production company best known for their work on Radiohead's "Burn the Witch" and Run the Jewels's "Don't Get Captured" music videos, has taken on the project of a music video for "Things It Would Have Been Helpful To Know Before the Revolution" that will be released soon[13].

Pure Comedy world tour

The Pure Comedy world tour, initially meant to be in the form of a musical, began in April 2017 and will continue until November 2017.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.1/10[14]
Metacritic85/100[15]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[16]
The A.V. ClubB+[17]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[4]
The Guardian[18]
The Independent[19]
Mojo[20]
NME[21]
Pitchfork7.6/10[22]
Q[23]
Rolling Stone[24]
The Record Store Clerk[25]

Pure Comedy received critical acclaim from critics. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 85, based on 36 reviews, which signifies "universal acclaim".[15] A review from The Record Store Clerk remarked that "Pure Comedy (shows) a mature artist proving that he can continue to make music at the top of his game and likely will for years to come."[26]

However, the album did divide some critics. No Ripcord gave the album a 4/10, saying "One of the most frustrating releases of recent times. Tracks meander insipidly, crushed by the weight of a solipsistic 'message' and the real moments of quality only serve as a reminder of what might have been."[27] Spin stated, "He’s not really in a fun mood, and the music follows. The lushness has diminished, and the work evokes increasing comparisons to ‘70s singer-songwriters like Randy Newman and Harry Nilsson, who hid their acidic commentary within sturdy pop structures."[28]

Commercial performance

Pure Comedy debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200 with 35,000 album-equivalent units, of which 33,000 were pure album sales.[29]

Track listing

All tracks written by Josh Tillman.

No.TitleLength
1."Pure Comedy"6:23
2."Total Entertainment Forever"2:53
3."Things It Would Have Been Helpful to Know Before the Revolution"4:18
4."Ballad of the Dying Man"4:50
5."Birdie"5:19
6."Leaving LA"13:11
7."A Bigger Paper Bag"4:41
8."When the God of Love Returns There'll Be Hell to Pay"4:04
9."Smoochie"3:45
10."Two Wildly Different Perspectives"3:12
11."The Memo"5:16
12."So I'm Growing Old on Magic Mountain"9:58
13."In Twenty Years or So"6:27
Total length:74:17

Charts

Pure Comedy reached the first position on the Billboard Rock Albums,[30] Alternative Music,[31] and Folk Music[32] charts on the week of April 29, 2017, a first for Tillman.[33]

Chart (2017) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[34] 14
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[35] 25
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[36] 64
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[37] 21
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[38] 32
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[39] 16
French Albums (SNEP)[40] 121
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[41] 60
Irish Albums (IRMA)[42] 7
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[43] 37
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[44] 10
Scottish Albums (OCC)[45] 7
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[46] 36
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[47] 18
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[48] 32
UK Albums (OCC)[49] 8
US Billboard 200[29] 10

References

  1. ↑ http://fatherjohnmisty.bandcamp.com/album/pure-comedy
  2. ↑ https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/father-john-misty-pure-comedy
  3. ↑ https://americansongwriter.com/2017/04/father-john-misty-pure-comedy/
  4. 1 2 3 Bernstein, Jonathan (April 6, 2017). "Father John Misty's Pure Comedy: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Father John Misty - Pure Comedy".
  6. 1 2 "FATHER JOHN MISTY announces new album "Pure Comedy" | Bella Union". bellaunion.com. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  7. ↑ Records, Sub Pop. "Pure Comedy". Sub Pop Records. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  8. ↑ Sub Pop (January 24, 2017), Father John Misty - Pure Comedy [The Film], retrieved January 28, 2017
  9. ↑ Sub Pop (January 24, 2017), Father John Misty - Pure Comedy, retrieved January 28, 2017
  10. ↑ "New Music: Father John Misty Shares Video for Somber Song "Two Wildly Different Perspectives"". January 30, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  11. ↑ Sub Pop (February 1, 2017), Father John Misty - Ballad of the Dying Man, retrieved February 1, 2017
  12. ↑ "Father John Misty references Taylor Swift in new song, 'Total Entertainment Forever'".
  13. ↑ "FAY JAY TAY on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2017-07-31.
  14. ↑ http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/8576/Father-John-Misty-Pure-Comedy.aspx
  15. 1 2 "Reviews for Pure Comedy by Father John Misty". Metacritic. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  16. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Pure Comedy – Father John Misty". AllMusic. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  17. ↑ Zaleski, Annie (April 7, 2017). "Father John Misty’s Pure Comedy demands serious attention". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  18. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (April 6, 2017). "Father John Misty: Pure Comedy review – wonderfully uneasy listening". The Guardian. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  19. ↑ Gill, Andy (April 5, 2017). "Album reviews: Father John Misty – Pure Comedy, Jamiroquai – Automaton, Imelda May – Life Love Flesh Blood, and more". The Independent. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  20. ↑ Doyle, Tom (April 7, 2017). "Father John Misty: Pure Comedy". Mojo. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  21. ↑ Cooper, Leonie (April 5, 2017). "Father John Misty – ‘Pure Comedy’ Review". NME. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  22. ↑ Monroe, Jazz (April 7, 2017). "Father John Misty: Pure Comedy". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  23. ↑ Price, Simon (May 2017). "Come to Daddy". Q (334): 110.
  24. ↑ Hermes, Will (April 6, 2017). "Father John Misty Mixes Humor, Classic Melodies on 'Pure Comedy'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Review: Father John Misty - Pure Comedy". The Record Store Clerk. May 8, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Review: Father John Misty - Pure Comedy". The Record Store Clerk. May 8, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  27. ↑ http://www.noripcord.com/reviews/music/father-john-misty/pure-comedy
  28. ↑ http://www.spin.com/2017/04/father-john-misty-pure-comedy-review/
  29. 1 2 Caulfield, Keith (April 16, 2017). "The Chainsmokers' 'Memories' Album Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Rock Albums". Billboard. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  31. ↑ "Alternative Music: Top Alternative Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Folk Music: Top Folk Albums". Billboard. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  33. ↑ "No Joke: Father John Misty's 'Pure Comedy' Leads Rock Album Charts". Billboard. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  34. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Father John Misty – Pure Comedy". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  35. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Father John Misty – Pure Comedy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  36. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Father John Misty – Pure Comedy" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  37. ↑ "Father John Misty – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Father John Misty. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  38. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Father John Misty – Pure Comedy". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  39. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Father John Misty – Pure Comedy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  40. ↑ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums – SNEP (Week 15, 2017)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  41. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Father John Misty – Pure Comedy" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  42. ↑ "Irish Albums Chart: April 14, 2017". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  43. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Father John Misty – Pure Comedy". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  44. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Father John Misty – Pure Comedy". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  45. ↑ 14, 2017/40/ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  46. ↑ "TOP 100 ALBUMES — SEMANA 15: del 07.04.2017 al 13.04.2017" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  47. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Father John Misty – Pure Comedy". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  48. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Father John Misty – Pure Comedy". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  49. ↑ 14, 2017/7502/ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
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