by Shannon Smith

Broken View finds Sam Barber building songs slowly and pushing them outward. Every arrangement on Broken View begins with something grounded that expands. Starting with acoustic sounds and close vocal phrasing before drums, layered guitars, steel, or fiddle broaden the emotional field around it. The record’s power does not come from oversized hooks or polished melodic repetition. It comes from the motion the song’s bring. Letting the rolling tom patterns, opening choruses, suspended guitar textures, and Barber’s ability to let a vocal line strain slightly against the groove without losing the story underneath it [...]

by Shannon Smith

Father John Misty—born Joshua Michael Tillman—has made a career as an enigmatic figure, both a purveyor of biting social satire and a seeker of deeper existential truths. His journey from J. Tillman’s introspective acoustic folk roots to the lush, expansive sonic palette of Father John Misty has been marked by continuous reinvention. Mahashmashana, his sixth album, is the latest chapter in that evolution. The album speaks with a voice more intimate than Pure Comedy, but more expansive than God’s Favorite Customer. This album, co-produced by Tillman and Drew Erickson, invites listeners into an exploration of [...]