Josh Tillman knocked me for six with his Fear Fun album a few years back. It became one of those albums that defined ‘our house’. Both Mrs ForTheDeaf and I would put it on repeat and it lived in the house, car and phones of ‘us’ and our friends for a good long while.
Not all of us made the leap to I Love You Honeybear. By the time we’d finished carpet bombing peoples ears with Fear Fun we’d put some miles on this quirky mix of clever cloggs lyrics and folk rock ticks.
I went in for album number two hard. I loved the variances in style and the post ironic lethargy in the lyrics. It made me laugh. As I say, not everyone in the circles we moved in went for it. Often when playing I Love You Honeybear in company conversation would turn to how good his last album was. Then before things ran their course that would get put back on. This track is more than halfway through the record. So often we never got there.
I’ll be honest, at the time of writing even I, a fan of album number 2 haven’t actually sprung for a copy of Pure Comedy nor for the newest release Gods Favorite Customer. They may be his best work. I’m just not there yet.
But I did stick with Honeybear in the car and on the phone and I found much to delight in. A lot of Father John Misty is a departure from my usual daily listen as (I’m sure you’ll have noticed) I like it loud. This is why I’ve chosen The Ideal Husband. Along with the sublime lyrics, the arch desperation and the wit there’s a heck of a racket raging around and bouncing off the walls of this track. There are Dylan-esque tings and sirens and honky tonk piano spinning around in the chaos of this song. It’s quite the ride.
He seems to be addressing Julian Assange in the lyrics for some reason or another and then listing a catalog of bad character traits. There’s a wasted confessional quality to the lyrics which sound like someone at the wrong end of bender asking to be let into a safe warm settled down life (And possibly a soft dry bed) like all hell raising is behind them now and they feel it’s time to play house.
Relatable?
Steve For The Deaf 
I also really liked Fear Fun when it first came out. And though I enjoy the albums that have come after, still like the debut the best. He is awesome live too.
LikeLiked by 2 people
My favourite FJM song. I love how uncomfortable of a listen it is, and the final outro of “Wouldn’t I make the ideal husband?” is freakin incredible. He closed with it when I saw him live last September and it was one of the most visceral experiences I’ve had with live music.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is a great song, makes a great contrast from the calmer tone of the rest of the album. Pure Comedy can be a bit of a slog, but I found God’s Favorite Customer really accessible and engaging, I’d recommend both!
LikeLiked by 1 person