Album Review: Father John Misty – I Love you, Honeybear
You know those artists whose sounds are so unique and captivating that whenever a song of theirs starts to play your passengers will inevitability stop mid-conversation and ask, “Who is this?” Father John Misty is definitely one of those artists. I Love You Honeybear is Father John Misty’s sophomore solo album and it does not disappoint. Though the album was released in February of 2015, his music and the accompanying videos are still causing new listeners to sit up and take notice. After continuing to see this response I had to bring awareness to his album for those who have not yet been properly introduced.
Joshua Tillman, under the stage name of Father John Misty, released his first solo album Fear Fun in 2013. Though wildly received and adored in its own right, Fear Fun provided just a foretaste of the vivid lyrics and inimitable sounds found on his latest album. I Love You, Honeybear is the kind of album you need to listen to from beginning to end to truly appreciate the unique nature of each song.
The lyrics are poems sung rather than spoken. His words are a mix of disturbing, personal, witty, beautiful, and often times self-deprecating. Nearly every song is injected with something special, such as a mariachi band, orchestral strings, ragtime jazz combos, electronic beats, and other incredible accompaniments.
His music videos are even more addicting than the songs themselves. They are almost voyeuristic in their nature. In the video for “Chateau Lobby #4”, the scenes were reportedly shot on Tillman’s honey moon through, what I can only guess, is the bottom of a scotch glass. Well-known actors pepper his music videos in scenes that are dazzling and unsettling. Recently, the website FunnyorDie.com comically accused the artist of plagiarizing a video called “Go F**k Yourself with Dave Franco” with the Father John Misty video “The Night Josh Tillman Came to Our Apartment”. Check out the comparison here: http://www.funnyordie.com/articles/dad1bbf349/did-father-john-misty-s-new-video-rip-off-dave-franco-s-go-fuck-yourself-from-2011. Even Aziz Ansari showed his love for Father John Misty in an episode on his new Netflix Comedy, “Master of None”.
Tillman is the kind of artist who plays the same song a hundred times and makes it sound brand new each time. You will fall in love with the tempo and his haunting voice on his album, but once you see him live the songs take on a brand new life. If you are lucky enough to catch him live just sit back, relax and enjoy the music. It will be very hard not to.
Must listen to tracks : ‘I Love You, Honeybear’, “Nothing Ever Happens at the Goddamn Thirsty Cow”, “Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for virgins)”, “Bored in the USA”, and “The Night Josh Tillman Came to Our Apartment”.