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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
On album five, Mr Tillman’s ambitious, big band-style visions and bossa nova experiments (yes, really) come to life with thrilling effect.
10mo
90
Father John Misty’s Chloë and the Next 20th Century is filled with deeply imaginative arrangements and sophisticated, textured songwriting.
10mo
90
On ‘Chloë and the Next 20th Century’, Father John Misty is transporting himself to a different world; it sounds pretty damn sweet over there.
10mo
88
Chloë represents a very stark, yet impressive left turn for Tillman, a record that sees him grow not only as a narrative lyricist, but also a master arranger.
10mo
83
Nearly every track comes draped in a lush overlay of strings and piano, though the lyrics ... are pure picaresque, so full of eccentric characters and casual Hollywood lore they feel less like songs than Paul Thomas Anderson movies compressed to six minutes or less.
10mo
83
Josh Tillman’s new album is a foray into old Hollywood that goes down like a smooth martini.
10mo
80
Lush, orchestral heartbreak from Josh Tillman's divisive and unforgivingly gifted alter ego.
10mo
80
Not every entry is gripping, and their mileage will depend on how much time you’re willing to settle in and let them wash over you, but overall it’s an impressively graceful skip into a new era for the songwriter.
9mo
80
Sly and sumptuous, it high-kicks, slinks and preens into view as a set of Hollywood songs of delusion, heartache, stardom, nostalgia, and tragicomic obsession, unabashed in its excesses and meta-mischief alike.
10mo
80
While this pastiche is obviously intentional, it never really feels like one. It also creates a much more romantic and intriguing world to fall into than the closed-curtains one of its predecessor. Josh Tillman remains a curious cat, but here he also sounds like a much more contented one.
10mo
80
The idea of restraint here is interesting, given that there is a real sonic lusciousness at work also, producing an often dazzling if at times discomfiting effect. Genres meld and bend, from a country inflection here to a Weimar-era Kurt Weill nod there, yet nothing seems too pastiche, or laboured.
10mo
80
Fans who fell in love with Tillman's sharp social commentary will find plenty to hone in on, but the lush sounds take some of the bite out of his clever barbs and cynical perspectives on love and connection. Even with the strong, considered design of his previous albums, Father John Misty has never sounded so pleasant.
10mo
80
As Chloë and the Next 20th Century sees Father John Misty escaping into his own parallel Hollywood reality, it's highly entertaining to slip in alongside him.
10mo
80
‘Chloë and the Next 20th Century’ is a sprawling statement with little concern for the outside world, he gushes over Chloe’s successes as a star yet laments how crowds praise her – he wants her all to himself. The record is vast yet insular, and you cant help but get swept up by the show.
10mo
80
With a full orchestra at his heels, Father John Misty’s fifth album is likely to be one of the classiest and most ambitious records of the year; only he could pull this off.
10mo
80
Josh Tillman’s stunningly melodic, sepia-tinged new songs are so much more than knowing facsimiles of vintage styles.
10mo
80
It’s a big, bold, beautiful statement that doesn’t hit you over the head but gently and carefully makes it way into your heart.
10mo
80
Josh Tillman’s latest release under his notoriously self-indulgent Father John Misty moniker marks a refreshing change in direction: privileging the music far above the man.
10mo
79
Singer-songwriter Josh Tillman reaches far, far back to the golden age of Hollywood for a dreamy, lushly orchestrated, wryly comic collection of vignettes that all depend upon the timelessness of a love song.
10mo
75
Father John Misty’s conspicuous vanishing act – away from being a big online personality – only highlights his impressive, and remarkably consistent, knack for delivering razor-sharp lyricism atop lush soundscapes.
9mo
75
While Chloë and the Next 20th Century doesn’t quite measure up to the best of his impressive catalogue, lacking in some of the more unique traits that make those albums so special, even a slightly weaker Father John Misty album is still pretty damn good.
10mo
70
These songs are bound together by their musical arrangements, presented as rightful heirs to a lost catalogue of great American songwriting.
10mo
70
Chloë and The Next 20th Century is testament to Father John Misty’s art of weaving a tale that is all too familiar, yet seemingly far removed from our present reality – it’s rooted in nostalgia, rumination and longing.
10mo
70
With delicate orchestral arrangements, a dead Turkish Angora, and an overlying Old Hollywood theme, Chloë and the Next 20th Century is the most un-Misty-like album yet. We’re OK with that.
10mo
70
Chloë and the Next 20th Century sees Tillman embrace Hollywood’s Golden Age with more musical cues inspired by the silver screen’s black and white era than you could shake an entire tree at.
10mo
70
The dude sounds bored. Extrapolating from the point about the sound, Misty’s disaffection throughout most of the album is in fact something we can read as character acting.
10mo
60
It's opulent and immaculately composed but lacks the strong perspective that's usually central to FJM's work. Many of the lyrics display Tillman's signature wit, but his targets here aren't as clearly defined as on past works.
9mo
60
Chlöe and the Next 20th Century presents Tillman as a sort of jaded Jacques Brel – he is less obnoxious than ever. But as with many good villains, the less I empathise with Father John Misty, the more I care what he has to say.
10mo
50
For an album which so clearly sells itself as a capital C concept Album, the narrative is indecipherable; each track dropping a handful of new character names, and the final song seems to give up on it completely.
10mo
50
Father John Misty’s Chloë and the Next 20th Century chases love as its guiding subject but too rarely feels amorous or sensual.
10mo
40
For me, this is somewhat of an unfortunate album for Mr. Tillman.
9mo
Let's get carried away by the nostalgia of a time that no longer exists in Chloe and the Next 20th Century, a timeless love story in black and white settings. Father John Misty succeeds again in the challenge of the concept and he seems to take pleasure in doing it
[ Hey AOTY, It's a pleasure to see you again after a 2 weeks break, Love]
Beyond his musical content, Father John Misty is also known for his remarkable and fascinating career. Born in Maryland, the artist began his career under ... read more
A very pretty project. FJM isn’t doing anything too impressive, but it sounds quite nice
Embora estaria mentindo se dissesse que 'Chloë and the Next 20th Century' chega ao nível dos melhores álbuns de Father John Misty como 'I Love You, Honeybear' e 'Pure Comedy', seu mais novo álbum é ainda um registro fascinante que consegue figurar entre os melhores discos do ano até agora ao trazer uma extrema qualidade lírica e sonora.
Father John Smith sempre mostrou ser um grande compositor ao trazer uma altíssima qualidade lírica ... read more
My least favorite record from Tillman to date, while I think it's cool he wanted to shift into this more old-school, big band approach, the songwriting was pretty mediocre except for a couple standout tracks like "Funny Girl" and "Chloe"
That being said, it's still worth a listen, especially if this is a sound you enjoy
This just isn't my thing I guess. While there are definitely some songs that stood out to me like Chloe and We Could be Strangers it just didn't click.
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Track List
| 1 | Chloë 3:28 | 82 |
| 2 | Goodbye Mr. Blue 5:00 | 83 |
| 3 | Kiss Me (I Loved You) 3:57 | 74 |
| 4 | (Everything but) Her Love 4:16 | 76 |
| 5 | Buddy's Rendezvous 4:59 | 82 |
| 6 | Q4 4:57 | 83 |
| 7 | Olvidado (Otro Momento) 4:48 | 76 |
| 8 | Funny Girl 3:39 | 84 |
| 9 | Only a Fool 4:02 | 76 |
| 10 | We Could Be Strangers 4:31 | 75 |
| 11 | The Next 20th Century 6:56 | 82 |
Total Length: 50 minutes
Year End Lists
| #4 | / | TIME |
| #5 | / | Variety: Chris Willman |
| #8 | / | USA Today |
| #9 | / | The Telegraph |
| #15 | / | Slant Magazine |
| #15 | / | The Sunday Times |
| #22 | / | WXPN |
| #28 | / | RIFF |
| #29 | / | MOJO |
| #29 | / | NME |
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2mo
underrated asl
give my boy daddy john his props
chloe is so slay
which is why it deserved the grammy nomination
give my boy daddy john his props
chloe is so slay
which is why it deserved the grammy nomination
3mo
in what world is this about to be a yellow 🤐
y'all rate random pop shit high but this low because of high expectations
y'all rate random pop shit high but this low because of high expectations
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Added on: November 28, 2021