ON the Beat | August Pop (and Anti-Pop) Harvest
Irony King Father John Misty, Frampton Still Coming Alive, and Croz in the Homage in the Late Summer Spotlight
This edition of ON the Beat was originally emailed to subscribers on August 24, 2023. To receive Josef Woodard’s music newsletter in your inbox each Thursday, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.
Despite the distracting stimuli of life and music on a weekly basis, my brain is still tickled by the memory of what Father John Misty pulled off at his recent Santa Barbara Bowl show. One interesting impression was venue-related: whereas his 2017 show in the cherished kitsch palace of the Arlington played up his act’s innate theatricality, the grander outdoor Bowl setting expanded his aura into the room of a micro arena performer.
Post-pandemic, Papa John (a k a Josh Tillman) has reemerged with new wrinkles — and silky smooth patches — mixed in with the old rough stuff and ironic patina of his persona. With his new album Chloë and the Next 20th Century, his admitted “fake jazz” obsession, shades of Rufus Wainwright and semi-suave textures both thicken and sweeten the Misty plot quite nicely.
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