Father John Misty, aka Josh Tillman, aka one of the most interesting musicians in our current era, has shared a couple of tracks that he’s labeled “Generic Pop Songs.” While they may be just that in some ways, the music is actually more interesting than half the generic pop I consume and love on a day-to-day basis.
Tillman is an interesting person to be making “indie rock” that’s veering toward the mainstream because of his background; he grew up in a deeply Conservative and religious community that continually impressed upon him the importance of following the rules, and adhering to God’s will for his life. Particularly “Generic Pop Song 3” below seems to hint at some of those themes.
After cutting ties with that upbringing — and releasing several albums of earnest, unnoticed folk rock — he constructed the Father John Misty persona, partially as a vehicle for his philosophical ideas about existence. Leaving behind the community and beliefs of your childhood can have a jolting effect on people, and it certainly had that on Misty.
But as he fine-tuned his indie rock sensibilities, they were so succinct that they caught the ear of several massive pop stars — Lady Gaga and Beyonce included (“Generic Song 9” sounds like it belongs on Joanne). It seems reasonable to assume that these outtakes were either created during potential writing sessions for those ladies, or the fruit of Tilmman exploring his place in that pop echelon. “Generic Pop Song 16” actually sounds like a contemporary Christian worship song, but I’ll let that slide because it’s also got a deep groove. Regardless, they all still beat out most of the current pop I’ve heard in 2017. Listen below.
https://soundcloud.com/fatherjohnmisty/generic-pop-song-3
https://soundcloud.com/fatherjohnmisty/generic-pop-song-9
https://soundcloud.com/fatherjohnmisty/generic-pop-song-16
