I was writing a novel, Which is where I finally found my narrative voice. It was a while before did voice started manifesting in a musical way, but once I settled in the Laurel Canyon spider-shack where the living now, I spent months demoing All These weird-ass songs about weird-ass experiences almost in real-time , and kind of had this musical Oh-there-I-am moment, identical to how I felt When I was writing the book. (J. Tillman / Sub Pop Records 2012)
Slightly less ironic and sarcastic perhaps as FEAR FUN (2012), but are much more personal insight into an apparently very happy phase of John Misty on I LOVE YOU, HONEY BEAR. So the elaborately designed gatefold album comes with a poster to see on the part of the intimate photos private life Josh Tillman and his wife Emma Elizabeth and fit certain affectionate notes should be read. The soulful love ballad I WENT TO THE STORE ONE DAY describes besides Chateau LOBBY # 4, STRANGE ENCOUNTER and NOTHING GOOD EVER HAPPENS AT THE THIRSTY CROW Goddamn the core of this concept album about love as an abstract journey of self probably best.
The tunes are about me, They are not about love I am not sure if there is anyone out there experiencing what I am experiencing I use words like love and marriage and all that, (but) They are like placeholders for another concept One Day making up as I come along. Any idea of love or whatever is like an ongoing Almost like Hegelian collaborative effort for Humanity and in some respect we are borrowing thesis ideas from the past but then at the same time we kind of have to move forward as if were inventing them for ourselves much of the way we are doing this with music (J. Tillman / FM4 Heartbeat 2015 *)
His narrative style has Josh undoubtedly found and also musically formed (TRUE AFFECTION remains the exception in the field of electronica, just like the gospel soulful WHEN YOURE smiling and Astride ME), but despite the predominantly penetrating catchiness sometimes creates a sense of I dont know what to say about this; Joshua Tillman hides not only behind a pseudonym allegedly arbitrarily chosen, but hidden topics of his songs generally often behind a kind of intellectual mask that makes the handset sometimes a bit perplexed and some texts in need of explanation. BORED IN THE USA and HOLY S *** are just such, although they are also exceptionally captivating.
That Song (HOLY S ***) is Essentially me kind of waking up from my intellectual dream did I had to emerge from [] the trading in one dogma for another, did liberal fundamentalism did like ohh I found the right way to be right I think for a lot of people thats the laststopshop thats just Where They end up for me, its just like any other believe system, it just failed to address my reality (J. Tillman / FM4 Heartbeat 2015 *)
It is in John Misty's texts so not to holistic or even final conclusions to self-discovery and the true aspects of affection, but rather to question the faith and supposedly universal concepts ever anew. Felt to have to judge is an almost banal beautiful Love plate, contrary to the statements of the artist himself, and especially compared to the Nightmare plagued Fear Fun Misty. Are worth listening to both albums of Father John and all this may include each only be advised appreciates this genre mix of folk / country / blues with idiosyncratic texts.
* Interview with Robert Rotifer (ORF, FM4 Heartbeat Edition 02.09.2015)
