I Love You, Honeybear

Lush, multilayered indie chamber pop/rock.
On his second release, former Fleet Foxes drummer Joshua Tillman adds depth to the cynical, sarcasm-drenched persona he began to craft in Fear Fun, while expanding on his ‘70s chamber-pop- and country-inspired sound. He’s proven himself a wry and gifted writer, aware of his “aimless/fake drifter/horny manchild momma’s boy” image. But that image was from before he settled down. Honeybear is thus devoted to the part of the self that is exposed by the humbling experience of falling in love. Whatever your feelings on his character, at the end of the day Tillman’s compositions (and voice) remain undeniably strong, expansive and unique. Though no song on this grabbed me quite like Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings, the honest reflective moments as well as surprises like an electronic beat and a laugh track make this an overall great album.

RIYL FJM, Grizzly Bear, Fleet Foxes, Harry Nilsson, E. Sharpe & Magnetic Zeros
Favorites*: 3, 7, 8, 9, 10(FCC), 11 .. so many..
*FCCs on 1, 4, 6, 10*

1. (4:39) FCC (f*ck) slow. cheery piano/grand string intro, very Funtimes in Babylon. about watching the apocalypse with his wife, Honeybear.
2. (2:51) medium-slow. love song 2: joy abounds, picture birds carrying a lovestruck FJM by the hair+ beard out an open window … feat. cool mariachi-like horns. “I haven’t hated/all the same things as somebody else/since I remember.” aww…
3. *(3:57) med. awesome uplifting synth and beat come out of nowhere!!?? and it works. double tracked vox, more earnest lyrically, one of my favorites
4. (3:36) FCC (f*ck, goddamn) medium-slow. anti-love song: sounds like a pleasant chimey tune but w/ acrid lyrics about a girl he’d like to choke
5. (4:34) slow. love song 3: fem backing chorus, sweet guitar soloing. actually tender and as sincere as he gets. “that’s how you live free/truly see and be seen.”
6. (4:34) FCC (f*ck, sh*t, ..) slow. acoustic countryish start. old-timey saloon sound, boasting of his lady at a bar called the Thirsty Crow
7. *(4:20) med-slow. sonically: haunting, eerie, gorgeous. lyrically: darkly humorous like Hollywood Forever. “the moment you came to swore I would change.”.love it.
8. *(3:35) mid. yesss. rockier/more upbeat. about facing your demons before realizing you want to settle down… fucking great
9. *(4:22) slow. piano not-so-ballad. starts somber in tone but becomes a clever, hilarious lamentation of the American condition, feat. laugh track (!)
10. *(4:01) FCC (f*ck) slow. sort of love song 4: acoustic, strummed, backing vocals. clever oxymorons show the cynic has become the believer. “maybe love is just an economy based on resource scarcity/what I fail to see is what’s that gotta do with you and me?”
11. *(4:26) slow. love song 5: quiet, beautiful (but still wry) reflection on the chance meeting at a corner store that changed his life. fluttery, acoustic picking and strings.