Father John Misty – Chloë And The Next 20th Century (2xLP)

Joshua Michael Tillman, his real name, also returned to the studio, where he wrote and recorded his new, fifth album, "Chloe And The Next 20th Century," from August to December 2020.

For the eleven-song album, Tillman again worked with producer and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Wilson, as well as Dave Cerminara, who was hired as engineer and mixer. The basic tracks were recorded at Wilson's Five Star Studios, with the strings, winds and woodwinds recorded at United Recordings in a session that included Dan Higgins and Wayne Bergeron. A few arrangements for "Chloe And The Next 20th Century" were contributed by producer and songwriter Drew Erickson, who last worked with Lana Del Rey on her 2021 album "Blue Banisters."

As a first listening impression of his new album, Father John Misty presented the single "Funny Girl" at the beginning of the year, a romantic jazz ballad based on the 1968 musical film adaptation with Barbra Streisand. Between piano melody, strings, brass and timpani, he sings of unrequited love. Fittingly, a music video directed by Nicholas Ashe Bateman was released. Instead of a performance by the singer, the clip features a jellyfish swimming above a sepia-toned Hollywood backdrop that looks like something out of "The Wizard of Oz."