Tidy Memorial, like its predecessor, is a uniquely Alaskan creation, reflecting the newfound home of singer-songwriter Josh Fortenbery.
~ courtesy SJF Public Relations
Alaska-based singer-songwriter Josh Fortenbery’s songs offer honest, self-deprecating observations about the world around him and put a magnifying glass on relatable anxieties–tied together, it’s what Fortenbery calls both neurotic folk and existential country. “Nobody Is Pleased,” released today and a live show favorite, considers how frustrating behaviors become second-nature.
The song is the latest single from Tidy Memorial (Oct. 10), Fortenbery’s second album, which continues to dissect society’s flaws, as did 2024’s No Such Thing as Forever. The accompanying video is a surreal interpretation of what it means to understand shortcomings, but continue the model the same patterns.
“I wanted to make a video imagining what it would be like if someone was immune to the inspiration of The Muses—if they trailed behind an anxious, depressed shut-in rather than a Greek hero or poet,” Fortenbery says.
Tidy Memorial, like its predecessor, is a uniquely Alaskan project. Among Fortenbery’s proudest identities is that of an Alaskan artist–he lived in North Carolina, Wisconsin, Mexico, and Oregon before putting down roots in his adopted hometown of Juneau, Alaska. With the exception of pedal steel player Erik Clampitt–who flew up from Portland, Oregon, to record–the rest of the players on the album reflect the level of talent that exists in such a remote place, perhaps somewhat surprisingly to the outer world. Fortenbery’s frequent collaborators, Taylor Vidic and Kennedy Kruchoski, added dream-like harmonies to “Nobody Is Pleased” and are the featured muses in the video for the song.
Situated between the ocean and an ice field, creating anything in Juneau, Alaska, often becomes somewhat of a DIY project. Fortenbery worked with fellow Alaskan Justin Smith as his co-producer, who once again loaded his collection of boutique mics and handmade analog studio equipment on a truck and ferried his gear east. Half the album was tracked inside a local house–a mobile studio constructed in its living room–and the other half at a hotel that was closed for the winter, surrounded by chairs that were stacked and stored for the off-season.
“What we didn’t know ahead of time was that the heat was barely working and the weekend we were recording would be in the single digits,” Fortenbery says. “We ended up setting up space heaters to keep the room above 50 degrees, but it was definitely challenging to keep our fingers warm while we played.”
While Tidy Memorial features the same narrator as Fortenbery’s debut, these songs depart from the more traditional folk and bluegrass sounds of the first record–electric keys, pedal steel guitar, and drums round out his evolved sound. This collection is also a bit more focused in theme: 10 songs that make up a series of eulogies.
“I think the last album was really introspective from top to bottom. I’m always going to be a somewhat introspective lyricist, mostly because I know my life experiences are all subjective and I struggle to write from any other perspective. But this album is a bit more outward-looking at times and each track mourns something. I’m grappling not only with personal loss but also the way in which the world is moving on and breaking down.”
Previous singles include “Is it Me?” which touches on worries about depression, gun violence, and his Jewish heritage, ultimately deciding that self-acceptance and love are better principles to spend time cultivating, with the refrain of “Take all my love / take all my love” weaving through the song
Another early release, “City Lights,” largely deals with the loss of youth. It’s one of the oldest songs on the album, and began with a melody Fortenbery wrote in high school. The Hammond B3 taps into the carefree nostalgia of years past, adding a haunting touch of melancholy to the mix.
“This song definitely captures the expansion in my sound since the last record but also highlights that internally, I feel as lost as ever,” he said. “My anxiety around aging is pretty new—I think I’m finally recognizing that some doors are closed or closing, and I’m trying to decide if I’m still having fun.”
For the accompanying video, Fortenbery worked to visually capture the feeling of standing still in a small town while the world moves rapidly past.
“We probably weirded out some tourists walking in slow motion while singing the song at .2 speed, but it definitely shows off my local haunts and the local life that sometimes haunts me,” he told The Bluegrass Situation.
Fortenbery says the album overall is more about the effort to write a fitting tribute than the finished product.
“The title track focuses on a relationship that died. A lot of it was my fault, and I wanted to say goodbye. To remember the good things, acknowledge my shortcomings, and find some peace with things,” he says. “The sentiment applies to all these songs—eulogies are tough, and learning to let go is a road that goes on forever.”
