Father John Misty
I Love You, Honeybear (Sub Pop)
Josh Tillman has come a long way. In seven years, he has gone from earnest-intellectual folkie (J. Tillman) to Fleet Foxes drummer to bona fide hipster sex symbol. With I Love You, Honeybear, he continues his growth as an artist and human being.
But be warned, this is not the companion piece to his 2012 smashing debut Fear Fun. This is an introspective, raw and humorous look inside the life of Misty where there are no starry metaphors, nor esoteric symbolism. In fact, Tillman has single handedly made one the most confessional singer-songwriter records of the past decade.
On “The Night Josh Tillman Came To Our Apartment”, he aims his lyrical arrow at the heart of some bright-eyed grammatically challenged starlet, singing, “She says like literally music is the air she breathes, and the malaprops make me wanna fucking scream.” Ouch.
In more tender moments, he croons, “I brought my mother’s depression, you’ve got your father’s scorn and a wayward aunt’s schizophrenia. But everything is fine, don’t give in to despair, ‘cause I love you, Honeybear.”
Ain’t love sweet?
Working with producer Jonathan Wilson, he creates a Newman-meets-Nilsson soundscape with the swagger of John Lennon and a Jodorowsky philosophical edge. But what really makes this record special is when Tillman breaks down his most guarded, self-aware layers and tells it like it is. Life is weird, he’s in love, and no, “Nothing Ever Happens At The Goddamn Thirsty Crow”.
Rating: ★★★★★
