currently spinning: chloë and the next 20th century

Modern-day Mad Men vibes. A record that matches my hairstyle.

Look at that pretty blue vinyl. Oh, how it makes my heart flutter.

Every Friday, I’ll share a record that has been getting some major spins at my house and why it’s making me feel the feels. I’m no rock critic. I just know what I like. And what I’ve been liking right now is Father John Misty’s latest Chloë and the Next 20th Century.

I’ve been a fan of Josh Tillman’s songwriting ever since he rocked my socks off with “I wanna take you in the kitchen/Lift up your wedding dress someone was probably murdered in…”

So, yeah, I was in.

Fast forward a few records all with his brand of no-bullshit lyrics and irresistible melodies and you have his lounge act, Hollywood’s Golden Age jazz album. Or rather, ‘fake jazz’ as he self-deprecatingly put it at the show in Paris I had the pleasure of going to earlier this month. Fake it most certainly is not. But rather, lovely. (AND this is how you know I’m not a rock critic because I probably should have written transcendent, reverential, exploratory…and sure, it’s all of those things but it’s also really lovely and moves leisurely like a dream in chiffon throughout my house.)

Hearing it for the first time transported me to Don Draper’s first trip out to California when he meets the jet-set crowd. Pucci and pills, baby. I could practically taste the gin gimlet on my lips. From the bold compositions, crooner-style lyrics to the jaunty Bossa nova guitar, the Mad Men aural aesthetic feels present in such a wonderful way that it almost haunts me with memories I’ve never had.

As for musical references, my musical encyclopedia went to the Leonard Cohen/ Phil Spector-produced Death of a Ladies' Man. Of course, ‘Goodbye Mr. Blue’ evokes all the Harry Nilsson that it feels like a tribute. And a well-done one, at that. But for me the centerpiece of the record truly is ‘Q4’ feels like a modern-day ‘You Only Live Twice’ with the addition of hip-bopping snares and almost medieval-sounding harpsichord.

Chloë has been a beautiful accompaniment to my psyche, as we embark on a new season. I like to imagine garden parties with mint juleps, sparkling waters, and lazy conversations. But it’s pouring ice rain as I write this, so I’ll just have to get up and flip the record over to imagine a time in California that I will never know of even if I do clean my bank account out for a night at the Beverly Hills Hotel. I sure can dream though.

What album has been making your 2023 so far? Let me know in the comments.

Bon week-end from my corner of the world to yours and thanks for reading.

Cordialement,

LCM

In the next newsletter, I talk about Songs of Leonard Cohen, an album that soundtracked the self-doubt of my 20s, which you can find here.