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Mahashmashana

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Mahashmashana
Studio album by
Father John Misty
ReleasedNovember 22, 2024 (2024-11-22)
Recorded
Genre
Length50:21
Label
Producer
Father John Misty chronology
Greatish Hits: I Followed My Dreams and My Dreams Said to Crawl
(2024) 		Mahashmashana
(2024)
Singles from Mahashmashana
  1. "I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All"
    Released: July 31, 2024
  2. "Screamland"
    Released: September 17, 2024
  3. "She Cleans Up"
    Released: October 15, 2024

Mahashmashana is the sixth studio album by American musician Josh Tillman under the stage name Father John Misty, released through Sub Pop and Bella Union on November 22, 2024. The album was produced in Los Angeles by Tillman and Drew Erickson with frequent collaborator Jonathan Wilson acting as executive producer.

The album artwork was designed by artist Joe Roberts. Its title refers to the Sanskrit word Mahāśmaśāna (महाश्मशान), meaning "great cremation ground". The album is being promoted by the singles "I Guess Time Makes Fools of Us All", "She Cleans Up", "Screamland" and "Josh Tillman and the Accidental Dose".[2] The first single was originally included on Tillman's greatest hits album, Greatish Hits: I Followed My Dreams and My Dreams Said to Crawl (2024). The second single, "Screamland", featuring Alan Sparhawk on guitar, was released on September 17, 2024.[3]

Title

[edit]

The title refers to the Sanskrit word Mahāśmaśāna (महाश्मशान), meaning "great cremation ground". Tillman chose the word after reading it in Bruce Wagner's 2006 novel Memorial and feeling inspired by it, "Just visually, it has all these sha-na-nas and ha-ha-has in it. With the record, there’s a lot in there about the self and about identity, and I think just the micro and the macro scale of endings."[4]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.0/10[5]
Metacritic82/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
The Arts Desk[7]
DIY[8]
The Guardian[9]
Mojo[10]
NME[11]
Paste8.4/10[12]
Pitchfork8.3/10[13]
Record Collector[14]
Rolling Stone[1]
Uncut8/10[15]

Tom Doyle of Mojo said that by the end of the album the listener leaves Misty "with another great, mind-bending, soul-baring, melodically rich album to his name: a singer tap dancing on the very edge".[10] Peter Watts of Uncut praised his vocal performance, "Tillman is an outstanding vocalist, a master of phrasing and inflection, noting the songs "Mahashmashana", "She Cleans Up", "Mental Health" and closing track "Summer’s Gone", as examples. Watts also pointed out that Tillman's skill as a musician "gets overshadowed by his lyrical brilliance".[15] For Record Collector Kevin Harley said that on the album, Tillman "addresses mortality with wickedly expansive style", and described Mahashmashana as "seductively fertile" and "lyrically frisky".[14] Stereogum named Mahashmashana as their Album of the Week and in a positive review, writer Chris DeVille noted Tillman's growth as a songwriter; claiming the album would become a fan favourite as "It’s among his absolute best".[16] Writing for No Depression, John Amen noted that throughout the album, "Tillman plays both Hamlet and his jester, a philosopher and satirist, a doomsdayer and Zen poet ... reaffirming his status as a distinct stylist".[17]

Oliver Crook of Exclaim! felt the album did not explore new ground for Tillman but rather "a maturing and mashing together" of his previous work, which held the album "back from true greatness".[18] Similarly, writing for Slant Magazine, Jeremy Winograd thought the lack of "thematic clarity" notwithstanding, Mahashmashana, "still feels like a return to form".[19]

Track listing

[edit]

All lyrics are written by Josh Tillman.

Mahashmashana track listing
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Mahashmashana"J. Tillman9:19
2."She Cleans Up"
4:26
3."Josh Tillman and the Accidental Dose"J. Tillman5:12
4."Mental Health"
  • J. Tillman
  • Drew Erickson
6:28
5."Screamland"J. Tillman6:51
6."Being You"
5:13
7."I Guess Time Makes Fools of Us All"J. Tillman8:35
8."Summer's Gone"
  • J. Tillman
  • Erickson
4:17
Total length:50:21

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from press release.[20][21]

Musicians
  • Josh Tillman – vocals, performance
  • Alan Sparhawk – guitar (track 5)
  • Drew Erickson – performance
  • Jonathan Wilson – performance
  • Dan Bailey – performance
  • Eli Thomson – performance
  • David Vandervelde – performance
  • Chris Dixie Darley – performance
  • Jon Titterington – performance
  • Kyle Flynn – performance
Production
  • Josh Tillman – production
  • Drew Erickson – production, arrangement
  • Jonathan Wilson – executive producer
  • BJ Burton – additional production, mixing (tracks 3, 5)
  • Michael Harris – engineering, additional production
Artwork

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Blistein, Jon (November 19, 2024). "Review: Father John Misty Dances With Death on 'Mahashmashana'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 19, 2024.
  2. ^ Breihan, Tom (September 17, 2024). "Father John Misty Announces New Album Mahashmashana". Stereogum. Archived from the original on September 17, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  3. ^ Martoccio, Angie (September 17, 2024). "Father John Misty Previews New Album With Searing 7-Minute 'Screamland'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  4. ^ Doyle, Tom (January 2025). "Father John Misty speaks to Tom Doyle". Mojo. No. 374. London. p. 82.
  5. ^ "Mahashmashana by Father John Misty Reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  6. ^ "Reviews for Mahashmashana by Father John Misty". Metacritic. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  7. ^ Tyler, Kieron (November 20, 2024). "Album: Father John Misty - Mahashmashana". The Arts Desk. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  8. ^ Goggins, Joe (November 20, 2024). "Father John Misty – Mahashmashana". DIY. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  9. ^ Petridis, Alexis (November 21, 2024). "Father John Misty: Mahashmashana review – modern life is still rubbish, yet still beautifully essayed". The Guardian. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Doyle, Tom (January 2025). "Father John Misty – Mahashmashana". Mojo. No. 374. London. p. 80.
  11. ^ Bassett, Jordan (November 20, 2024). "Father John Misty – 'Mahashmashana' review: perhaps his most sincere album yet". NME. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  12. ^ Wayslak, Victoria (November 20, 2024). "Father John Misty Waltzes Through Folkloric Wisdom on Mahashmashana". Paste. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  13. ^ Gaca, Anna (November 21, 2024). "Father John Misty: Mahashmashana Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Harley, Kevin (December 2024). "Father John Misty – Mahashmashana". Record Collector. No. 564. London. p. 106.
  15. ^ a b Watts, Peter (December 2024). "Father John Misty – Mahashmashana". Uncut. No. 333. London. p. 24-25.
  16. ^ DeVille, Chris (November 19, 2024). "Album Of The Week: Father John Misty Mahashmashana". Stereogum. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  17. ^ "On Mahashmashana, Father John Misty Blends Sonic Range and a Big-Picture View". No Depression. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  18. ^ Crook, Oliver (November 18, 2024). "Father John Misty Is at a Crossroads on 'Mahashmashana'". Exclaim!. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  19. ^ Winograd, Jeremy (November 18, 2024). "Father John Misty 'Mahashmashana' Review: A Droll Commemoration of Modern Life". Slant Magazine. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  20. ^ Gobeli, Abbie (September 17, 2024). "Father John Misty's Mahashmashana Available Friday, November 22nd". Sub Pop. Archived from the original on September 17, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  21. ^ "Father John Misty - Mahashmashana". Sub Pop. Archived from the original on September 17, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
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