Review | Father John Misty – Mahashmashana

Label: Bella Union

By Hannah North

Father John Misty is back with his sixth studio album, ‘Mahashmashana‘, out today. A 50 minute whirlwind of 8 songs, ‘Mahashmashana‘ scintillates and delights – just like any sweeping cinematic project should. 

But what does ‘Mahashmashana‘ mean? Well, without sounding like the Oxford English Dictionary, it’s a sanskrit word referring to a great cremation ground, where all things go to thither before the next life. And the album certainly ponders on the great questions of life and death and swirls around the uncertainty of both.

The album as a whole contains those theatrical swells that we have come to expect and love from the musician, but there are tracks which come as a pleasant surprise. ‘She Cleans Up‘, the 2nd track on the project, is bluesy and playful, with tons of religious imagery, whereas track 7 – ‘I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All‘ wouldn’t feel out of place at a 70’s discotheque. 

Josh Tillman makes a reprise too in ‘Josh Tillman and the Accidental Dose,’ a decadent 5 minute ode to the pain of creating art and commercialising it. A standout lyric from the track – “I’d forfeit my existence, If someone let me just play with them.”

But a 5 minute number is nothing compared to the title track, which comes in at a whopping 9 minutes and 12 seconds – it’s almost Homeric in its epicness. Its bleak but funny, moving and depressing, and above all it’s a treat for the ears. ‘Lush’ is the word that comes to mind. 

‘Mahashmashana‘ is seemingly somewhat of a swan song for Father John Misty, with reflection, redemption, and introspection being the major players on the album. Will Tillman retire the alter ego, or is it that he is simply narrating doomsday? I’m not sure on that answer — I’ll just have to listen to the album again.