Father John Misty, Two Wildly Different Perspectives | Track Review 🎵

Gifted singer/songwriter Father John Misty brilliantly depicts the hellishness of political polarization on “Two Wildly Different Perspectives.”

Father John Misty (Josh Tillman) is a genius.  We’ve established this more times than once.  I Love You, Honeybear dropped in 2015, but still remains one of the best albums of recent times. Once more, on “Two Wildly Different Perspectives”, Josh Tillman intrigues us all.  On the 10^th track on his third studio album, Pure Comedy, he continues to be honest and poetic lyrically.  Literally, “Two Wildly Different Perspectives” covers just that – two wildly different perspectives.

From the jump, Father John Misty details the differences of opinion.

“One side says
Y’all go to hell
The other says
If I believed in God, I’d send you there.”

Interesting, the response that he personally has to both sides is pitch-perfect:

“...But either way we make some space
In the hell that we create
On both sides.”

Deep.  The rest of the song is set up in the same manner.  Both sides are given, both sides are equally flawed, and Father John Misty confirms a message of the dangers of two extremes.  Even though there are varied differences of opinion, both can result in the same ends – hell.

But, what is Father John Misty really getting at? Likely, the dangers of politics.  The polarization caused by both sides is at an all-time high, and the back-n-forth between both creates hell.  Once more, Josh Tillman nails it with his concept and messaging.

Final Thoughts

While arguably “Two Wildly Different Perspectives” isn’t quite as captivating as “Pure Comedy” or “Ballad of the Dying Man”, it continues to find the singer/songwriter flexing his buff songwriting biceps.  Judging by “Two Wildly Different Perspectives,” as well as the other pre-release singles from Pure Comedy, the album is sure to be perfectly suited for “times such as these.”

Father John Misty • Pure Comedy • Sub Pop • Release: 4.7.17

Picture Credit: Sub Pop