Father John Misty debuts new song ‘Corpse Dance’ on surprise live album
Father John Misty offered up a late Christmas present in the shape of a surprise new live album. Recorded only just over a week ago, at his solo show on December 15th, 2023, Live At The Sunset Cultural Center revisits that performance and debuts a brand new track.
Father John Misty is no stranger to live albums. His previous 2020 compilation, Off-Key In Hamburg, shared live versions of songs from his first four albums. In 2022, Live At Electric Lady celebrated the release of his new album, Chloe And The Next 20th Century, with stripped-back live performances. After a busy year of touring that new record and appearing at Hyde Park with Lana Del Rey, the singer is at his live best.
Making that statement a fact, the surprise new release delivers stunning, stripped-back acoustic renditions. Recorded just over a week ago during an intimate solo show, the live album was captured at the Sunset Center in Carmel-by-the-Sea in California. Including ‘Nancy From Now On’ and ‘I’m Writing A Novel’ from his 2012 album, alongside recent tracks like ‘Goodbye Mr Blue’ and ‘Chloe’, the set is a career-spanning tour of his work.
Played exclusively by Father John Misty, the moniker of Josh Tillman, this solo show offers a different sound. As an artist who regularly plays with orchestras alongside his full band, these simpler versions of his tracks prove the musician’s raw talent.
But amongst the hits sits a brand new song. ‘Corpse Dance’ has yet to appear on any of his officially released albums. Clocking in at almost eight minutes, the track is an epic of storytelling lyricism. The song is played on a simple acoustic guitar with folk-leaning lyrics, reminiscent of Leonard Cohen’s early works.
It’s unknown when Father John Misty wrote the track. It could be an off-cut from his latest album or be a song that has sat in the archive for a while. The lyric-heavy sound feels akin to his 2017 Pure Comedy era. It’s also unknown whether the song will ever be officially released with a proper recording, possibly on a future album, or if this live version will be the only form ‘Corpse Dance’ will take.
Ending the song with a comment of “You’re gonna love it,” he could possibly be referring to an upcoming album or future project he’s working on.
Released exclusively on Bandcamp, the full live album is now available to stream as a perfect soundtrack to the post-holiday slump.
Live at the Sunset Cultural Center, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 12/15/2023 (Solo Show) by FATHER JOHN MISTY
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