Pure Comedy

Description

Pure Comedy, the third album by Father John Misty, is a complex, often sarcastic, and just as often, touching meditation on the bewildering madness of modern humanity. Father John Misty is the project of singer-songwriter Josh Tillman. While we could say a lot about Pure Comedy (notably that it is a bold and important album in the lineage of great American songwriters such as Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman, and Leonard Cohen), we think it is best to let its creator describe it himself. The floor is yours, Mr. Tillman: “Pure Comedy is the story of a species born with a half-formed brain. Its only hope for survival, as it finds itself on a cruel and unpredictable rock, surrounded by other species that seem much more at home in this realm (and for which they are a delight), lies in its dependence on other brains, slightly older and also half-formed. This dependence takes on different names throughout their history, such as 'love,' 'culture,' 'family,' etc. Over time, as their brain proves remarkably adept at inventing meaning where there is none, the species becomes prey to increasingly bizarre and sophisticated ironies. These ironies are designed to help them cope with their wretched vulnerability and to try to reconcile the gap between their imagination and the monotony of their existence.” The album Pure Comedy was recorded in 2016 at the legendary United Studios (Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Beck) in Hollywood, California. It was produced by Father John Misty and Jonathan Wilson, with sound engineering by Trevor Spencer, Misty's longtime sound engineer, and orchestral arrangements by the renowned composer and double bassist Gavin Bryars (known for his significant solo work and collaborations with Brian Eno, Tom Waits, and Derek Bailey).