Preach, Father John Misty – Singer-songwriter Josh Tillman is doing all the right things

“You guys having an exciting time at this folk rock show?” Josh Tillman, a.k.a. Father John Misty, snickered last night in between songs at his One Eyed Jacks’ performance.

In a little under an hour, Tillman and his band played one of the best live shows I had seen, cementing his status as one of today’s best musical talents. The music isn’t necessarily ground-breaking, and the tunes never threaten to be revolutionary.

However, Tillman’s “it’s only rock ‘n’ roll” aura is precisely the reason why he’s brilliant.

In Tillman’s best song off 2012’s still-underrated Fear Fun, “Now I’m Learning to Love the War”, the singer confides:

Let’s just call this what it is
The gentler side of mankind’s death wish
When it’s my time to go
Gonna leave behind things that won’t decompose

The song boils down the reasons why artists create—it’s the only way we know how to create a legacy and that way is rather vain, but we still want to be remembered. We still want someone to hold or look at a physical copy of something from earlier years.

The song is also poking fun. Any musician who believes what they are doing has any value more than for entertainment, probably needs to revaluate his or her life:

Try not to dwell so much upon
How it won’t be so very long from now that they laugh at us for selling
A bunch of 15 year olds made from dinosaur bones singing ‘Oh Yeah’
Again and again
Right up to the end

Now, this line is pretty much a dig at the Biebers, Rebecca Blacks, and Psys of the music world. Last night even, Tillman went off-page, replacing the final two lines with “And you’re ‘Fridays,’ and ‘Babys’…”

Tillman’s wordplay and showmanship are two reasons why he’s one of the best things in music today. However, the reason I have a huge man-crush on Tillman is that he realizes the one thing a lot of bands never do — this isn’t rocket science, and we’re not here to change the world. No, we’re here to have a good time. Anything more than that, well, you’re taking life a little too seriously.

Father John Misty knowingly laughs at himself and has the humility to realize this music isn’t life-changing, but he’ll do his damn best to make sure you had a good time.

Tillman and his band are everything an “it” band like Savages is not.

The all-female, post-punk band from London has won acclaim from everyone for its energetic shows and meaningfulness. Critic du jour Jim DeRogatis tweeted, “Savages’ debut: If you don’t feel something, I doubt you’re really alive, and I don’t think I care to know you.”

Which I guess is high praise, but I mean if you’re still into judging someone based on musical preference, I don’t want to talk to you either.

Savages sound like Joy Division, Gang of Four, and every other post-punk band. It’s not fresh. It’s not that energetic, either. The idea has been praised as revolutionary. You can read any review calling Savages the next best thing, or the best thing since whoever was great last year.

Prepare to roll your eyes.

There’s an air of self-importance to everything Savages do. The band has manifestos. The band has a poem written on the cover of its debut album, Silence Yourself. The band’s portrait is in black and white where the members look like they’re pissed, and you should be, too, dammit.

All-female, energetic bands have come and gone: listen to Sleater-Kinney. Great British “it” bands have also come and gone: See how quickly Bloc Party faded after Silent Alarm was released, and that album is one of the best albums I’ve ever heard.

Yes, there is no such thing as originality in music anymore. Maybe I am being too harsh. However, Savages is missing the point.

They are in the business of selling music. You’re kidding yourself if you’re thinking your music and merchandise will be a legitimate call to arms a decade from now. You got in the wrong business if you wanted to change people’s minds about life and being disconnected from reality.

The more they beat me over the head with this mad attitude of “the world stinks,” the more I want to listen to Father John Misty.

At least he has the humility to call this music and entertainment what it really is—a vanity crisis.