Father John Misty, Josh Tillman's artist name, released "I Love You, Honeybear," expanding on his previous album's explosion of indie-folk and mainstream American experimentalism. Maybe it was his time in Fleet Foxes that gave him a rock-solid base to explore the outer reaches of these genres.
My introduction to Tillman's corpus of work was one of creating a new life as, gasp, a young freshman. I first listened to the 2012 album "Fear Fun" in a Barrett dorm room. "Nancy From Now On" became an instant anthem in my life.
Last November, I had the privilege of watching Tillman's performance on Letterman — via YouTube, of course. "Bored in the USA" chronicles the non-problems that white male hipsters face every day.
The "tragedy" that the narrator encounters points out the absurdity of estrangement and alienation in our modern lives, potentially. It could just be making fun of first world problems.
Tillman croons, "How many people rise and think, 'Oh good, a stranger's body's still here, our arrangement hasn't changed?'" This line hits to the core of the debasement of even our most intimate relationships.
However, Tillman also prays to white Jesus for his salvation, as well as President Jesus, to save him from all the evil that comes with living in the most privileged position in one of the most developed countries in the history of the world.
This, all while canned laughter plays over the track. It's part of Tillman's brilliant deconstruction of the white male and his own song. Truly, a two-for-one deal.
Tillman's style hasn't changed all that much from his previous album, but there seems to be a little more kookiness embedded in the work as a whole. Just slight cues in this album will give you that impression, trust me.
In fact, the song, "The Night Josh Tillman Came To Our Apt.," clearly typifies this swaying, horizontal sound he's committed to from album to album. The twee guitar riffs and what sounds like a xylophone, are a clear departure from his (on the whole) rougher sound in earlier works.
Of course, the deconstruction, again, happens when Tillman references himself as himself in the title of this song. He's talking (surprise!) about a toxic relationship, one that belittles the woman he's with. Not sure how I feel about this, but sometimes there's just nothing deeper about the person with whom you're singing "Silent Night."
Tillman on that subject: "And now every insufferable convo / Features her patiently explaining the cosmos / Of which she's in the middle."
The deconstruction doesn't limit itself to a less rough sound than the last album, however. There's a vibe-y Wampire-esque soundscape that appears in the middle of "Strange Encounters." Really worth a listen, if only for the wacky comparison to Wampire.
"Ideal Husband," stylistically, contributes to the harder sounds that Tillman outlines on other tracks. The drums, piano and Tillman's voice balance to create a belting not rivaled on the rest of the album.
Another uber-melancholy ballad on this album is "Nothing Good Ever Happens At The Goddamn Thirsty Cow." With a really low-key instrumentation, Tillman's vocals soar over top. The acoustic guitar in this track makes me think back to the attempt at deconstruction on this whole shebang.
I love Father John Misty. It's the type of folk music that doesn't bore me. It's self-aware. It's snarky. As often uttered in Professor Hawkes's Monday-Wednesday afternoon Shakespeare class, "I'm just here for the wordplay." Thanks, FJM, for another instant classic.
Call the reporter Nancy at pnorthfe@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @peternorthfelt
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