ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Josh Tillman is dead, and in his place we now have Father John Misty.I Love You, Honeybearis aHigh Fidelity-inspired realisation for a 30-something man about love and relationships. Since his last album, Tillman got married, and this album is a reflection of that – it’s a slightly surreal and dark look at love, wrapped up in beautiful baroque-pop productions.
Tillman’s voice is warm and inviting, allowing him to switch from cynicism to optimism with ease. His songs are based in indie folk, but the lavish and layered instrumentation provides a soundtrack that has a nostalgic feel to it. It’s equal parts Pet Sounds and OK Computer. It’s comforting, but also a little bit weird.
There are captivating moments across this album; the soaring strings on the titular track, the electronic-inspired ‘True Affection’, and Tillman singing “Let’s put a baby in the oven / Wouldn’t I make the ideal husband?” as noise builds up around him before he bursts out in an overdriven and jagged guitar solo.
Even the packaging for the album has been carefully crafted, including pop-up-book-style artwork, and a ‘listening guide’ for the songs, which is both self-deprecating and darkly humorous. This is a fine record that deserves to be bought physically.
4.5/5.
