The word “mahashmashana” – महामशान in Sanskrit – translates as “great burying ground.” Co-opted as the title of Josh Tillman’s sixth album as Father John Misty, its use might reflect a concern that the contemporary world is facing its demise. Or it may be due to its onomatopoeic quality. Perhaps both.
Mahashmashana the album opens with its lush, strings-suffused title track. The lyrics mention the “next universal dawn” and “the corpse dance.” Here, truth “ain’t the kind of thing you can tell.” The song’s narrative seems to pivot on leaving a milieu populated by “rich assholes” for circumstances where “the act of creation may one day produce a happy man.”
Parsing the eight songs which unfold over Mahashmashana’s 50 minutes is tricky. Tillman’s adoption of the FJM persona renders it difficult to take anything literally. “I Guess Time Makes Fools of Us All,” “Mental Health,” and “Screamland” seem straightforward enough, as does the encounter detailed in “Josh Tillman and the Accidental Dose.” But everything is at a remove, steps away from an unembroidered autoportrait.
It’s the same with the nature of the music. Where familiar touchstones crop up, they place the subjective at arm’s length; Tillman employs them as signposts to signify his perspective. “She Cleans up” nods to The Beatles’ “Savoy Truffle.” Serge Gainsbourg-esque strings colour “Josh Tillman and the Accidental Dose.” The spectres of All Things Must Pass George Harrison and Harry Nilsson are never far. “I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of us All” has a Philly soul lilt and a smidge of Al Stewart. Album closer “Summer’s Gone” resonates with the showtune sensibility coursing through the last FJM album, Chloë and the Next 20th Century. Alan Sparhawk, from Low and now solo, contributes iridescent guitar to “Screamland.” All this is openly brought to bear in what can be a stylistic pick and mix. Lana Del Ray – who has covered FJM, and with whom Tillman has worked – occupies an analogous ballpark.
Knowing then. Arch too. And self-referentially oblique. But whatever the deliberation or strategies, Mahashmashana is absolutely stunning. Unequivocally so. Assured, fully formed, polished and stuffed with a succession of emotive, robust songs. Whoever it is – Father John Misty or Josh Tillman – has fashioned a landmark album, one flawlessly uniting style and substance.
