I Love You, Honeybear

I Love You, Honeybear
Studio album by Father John Misty
Released February 9, 2015 (2015-02-09)
Recorded 2013–14
Genre Indie folk, indie rock, soft rock
Length 44:54
Label Bella Union (UK & Europe)
Sub Pop (Rest of the world)
Producer Jonathan Wilson & Josh Tillman
Father John Misty chronology
The History of Caves
(2013)		 I Love You, Honeybear
(2015)
Singles from I Love You, Honeybear
  1. "Bored in the USA"
    Released: November 4, 2014
  2. "Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)"
    Released: December 9, 2014

I Love You, Honeybear is the second studio album released by American folk musician Josh Tillman under his pseudonym Father John Misty. It was released on February 9, 2015 in the UK and Europe on Bella Union,[1] and in the rest of the world on February 10, 2015 on Sub Pop.[2] Produced by both Tillman and Jonathan Wilson, this is Tillman's second studio album since his departure from Fleet Foxes. The album was also mixed by Phil Ek, and mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound. According to Tillman, the release is a concept album. Upon its release, I Love You, Honeybear received widespread acclaim from critics, and was ranked as one of the best albums of 2015 by numerous publications.

Production

Recording

I Love You, Honeybear was recorded in 2013 and 2014 in Los Angeles. The album was produced by Jonathan Wilson and was mixed by Phil Ek and mastered at Sterling Sound.[3]

Music

Josh Tillman described I Love You, Honeybear as a concept album about himself. The album deals with Tillman's personal life, including him "engaging in all manner of regrettable behavior," as well as his relation with his wife Emma.[2] Because of the album's raw, personal nature, Tillman worried about playing the songs live and initially had a hard time playing those songs to people close to him.[4]

Tillman called the song "Bored in the USA" a "sarcastic ballad."[5] Pitchfork Media described the song as mocking the "entire franchise of privileged white men making their spiritual void the dark center of the universe."[6] Tillman added a laugh track to the song as a way of "neutralizing uncomfortable ideas."[5]

The song "Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)" was about Tillman and his wife Emma exploring Los Angeles when they first met. "True Affection," an electronic song, dealt with isolation and Tillman's frustration with "trying to woo someone with text message and email and trying to make a connection that way." "Holy Shit" was written on the day Tillman and his wife were married. “Nothing Good Ever Happens at the Goddamn Thirsty Crow” is divided into two parts. The first part, a country blues song, deals with Tillman "turning down aggressive women" at the Crow, a bar in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. The second part, a jazz dirge, deals with men harassing Tillman's wife at the Crow while Tillman is on tour. “I Went to the Store One Day,” the last song on the album, chronicles Tillman's and his wife's relation from the day they met in a store to their deaths.[4]

Release

On November 3, 2014, Tillman performed the track "Bored in the USA" on Late Show with David Letterman.[7] The next day, the release date for I Love You, Honeybear was announced.[3] On December 8, 2014, a music video for the song “Chateau Lobby #4 (In C For Two Virgins)” was released.[8] Concerning this music video, Tillman said: "I was going to rent a wedding chapel, get a dozen kittens and stage a kitten wedding, over which I would preside and intercut with performance footage of me lip-syncing the song".[9] As the original idea wasn't realisable, Tillman said about the final version: "I don’t care all that much if you like the music video or not. The label isn’t crazy about it. Management isn’t crazy about it. […] I made it on an iPad on my wedding anniversary with the one I love."[9]

On January 27, 2015, Tillman launched a fake music streaming service called Streamline Audio Protocol where he uploaded a lo-fi version of I Love You, Honeybear for streaming. The version includes the entire album without vocals and other instruments featured in the actual release of the album. Tillman described this service as something where "the consumer can decide quickly and efficiently whether they like a musical composition, based strictly on its formal attributes, enough to spend money on it."[10]

Soon after the release of the Sub Pop deluxe LP version on February 10, 2015, fans and label recognized that the pressing was damaged due to packaging issues which finally caused a warp defect. On February 11, 2015, the label released an official statement, confirming that the first pressing of the deluxe version will no longer be available and that they will press a new version. The statement reads as follows: "[W]e are sorry that many of these fancy, colored-vinyl, deluxe versions of Father John Misty’s new album, I Love You, Honeybear are, it appears, warped! In our efforts to replicate the “wow factor” of such legendary album packages as the Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers zipper cover by Andy Warhol, we wound up accidentally replicating the “defect factor” of the same. In short, the extra, bulging thickness of the pop-up art in the Father John Misty jacket creates a lump that, when the LPs are sealed and packed, pushes into the LPs, causing the vinyl to warp and making that handsome, painstakingly and expensively produced jacket an elaborate record-destroying device. This oversight, and any attendant suffering, is our fault, and we are very sorry. We promise to be less ambitious in the future. We are currently making 100% non-warped, colored-vinyl LPs to replace these damaged LPs."[11]

Further on in the same article the label explains its decision to release I Love You, Honeybear as a double LP: "Due to its length and the wide audio spectrum of the recording, we at Sub Pop, together with Father John Misty, decided that the album sounded much better cut at 45 RPM over 2 pieces of vinyl. Though we all prefer the listening experience of a single piece of vinyl, we decided in this case to prioritize audio quality (an admittedly very subjective determination)."[11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic87/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
The A.V. ClubA–[14]
Consequence of SoundA–[15]
The Guardian[16]
NME9/10[17]
Pitchfork Media8.8/10[18]
Rolling Stone[19]
Slant Magazine[20]
Spin9/10[21]
Uncut8/10[22]

On its release I Love You, Honeybear received widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received a score of 87, based on 33 reviews, which is categorised as "Universal Acclaim".[12]

Exclaim!'s Matthew Ritchie gave the album a perfect score, writing that "Tillman's intentions and feelings as a songwriter have never seemed so clear."[23] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian praised the album's lyrics, writing "There are moments when, if you’re listening closely, the constant lyrical shifts from caustic irony to plaintive declarations of love can really knock you for six, not least on the title track." Pitchfork Media's Mike Powell gave the album a Best New Music designation, calling it "an album by turns passionate and disillusioned, tender and angry, so cynical it's repulsive and so openhearted it hurts."[18] Allmusic's James Christopher Monger wrote "Honeybear has the architecture of its predecessor, but features braver melodic choices, and at a pure pop level, is the far more challenging LP of the two, but it rewards the listener constantly."[13] Aaron Mook of Absolutepunk awarded the album an almost perfect score of 9.8 out of 10, noting "It's easy to see a part of ourselves in Tillman's flawed character, and it's as if we keep listening for some kind of an answer."[24]

Marc Hirsh of the Boston Globe, on the other hand, criticized the album's lyrics, writing "with a default mode of arch snarkery, Misty doesn’t have much to say; he gets off a sharp line here and there, but can’t string them together into anything greater."[25] In an otherwise positive review, Popmatters' Sean McCarthy wrote "After an amazingly solid first half, the second half of Honeybear suffers some lag, either because of some tracks have a lack of a memorable hook or chorus (“Strange Encounter”), or experiments that just don’t pan out (see the laugh track on “Bored in the U.S.A.”)."[26]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Year Rank
The A.V. Club The 15 Best Albums of 2015 2015
NME NME'S Albums of the Year 2015 2015
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2015 2015
Readers' Top 50 Albums 2015
Rough Trade Albums of the Year 2015 2015
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2015 2015

Commercial performance

I Love You, Honeybear debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200 with 28,000 copies sold in its first week. Its debut represented Tillman's best album sales week to date.[33] As of July 2015, the album has sold 74,000 copies domestically.[34] Approximately 30% of the album's units sold have been, both in its debut and cumulatively, in the vinyl configuration.[33][34]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by J. Tillman. 

No. Title Length
1. "I Love You, Honeybear"   4:38
2. "Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)"   2:50
3. "True Affection"   3:56
4. "The Night Josh Tillman Came to Our Apt."   3:36
5. "When You're Smiling and Astride Me"   4:34
6. "Nothing Good Ever Happens at the Goddamn Thirsty Crow"   4:34
7. "Strange Encounter"   4:19
8. "The Ideal Husband"   3:35
9. "Bored in the USA"   4:22
10. "Holy Shit"   4:01
11. "I Went to the Store One Day"   4:26
Total length:
 44:51

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.[35]

  • Elizabeth Bacher – violin
  • Sasha Barr – art direction
  • Arnie Barrera – trumpet
  • Greg Calbi – mastering
  • Jorge Cardenas – violin
  • Paul Cartwright – arrangement, mandolin, mandolin arrangement, string arrangements, strings, violin
  • Hector Castro – violin
  • Daphne Chen – violin
  • Keefus Ciancia – primary artist
  • Claire Courchene – cello
  • Phil Ek – mixing
  • Bryce Gonzales – engineering
  • Fred Herrera – horn arrangements, string arrangements
  • Javier Rodriguez – trumpet
  • Benji Lysaght – primary artist, guitar
  • Alethea Mills – vocals
  • Gabriel Noel – bass, string arrangements, strings
  • Alia Penner – artwork
  • Andres Renteria – conga
  • Stacey Rozich – paintings
  • Farmer Dave Scher – lap steel guitar
  • Chavonne Stewart – vocals
  • Thomas Lea – viola
  • Emma Elizabeth Tillman – photography
  • Josh Tillman – art direction, composer, horn arrangements, primary artist, production, string arrangements
  • Brian Walsh – clarinet
  • Jonathan Wilson – mixing, primary artist, production

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[36] 38
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[37] 17
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[38] 54
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[39] 86
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[40] 29
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[41] 27
French Albums (SNEP)[42] 104
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[43] 36
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[44] 10
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[45] 36
UK Albums (OCC)[46] 14
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[47] 3
US Folk Albums (Billboard)[48] 2
US Billboard 200[49] 17

References

  1. ↑ "Father John Misty ‘I Love You, Honeybear’ COMING THIS FEBRUARY…". Bellaunion.com. Bella Union. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Sub Pop Records : Father John Misty : I Love You, Honeybear". Subpop.com. 2015-02-10. Retrieved 2014-12-10.
  3. 1 2 Minsker, Evan. Father John Misty Announces I Love You, Honeybear, Performs "Bored in the USA" on "Letterman". Pitchfork. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  4. 1 2 Fennessey, Sean. The Third Revelation of Father John Misty. Grantland.com. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  5. 1 2 Totty, Lindsay. A Serious Man: Father John Misty's Transformation In Progress. NPR Music. 13 February 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  6. ↑ Cohen, Ian. Father John Misty "Bored in the USA". Pitchfork Media. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  7. ↑ Rettig, James. Watch Father John Misty Play “Bored In The USA” From New Album I Love You, Honeybear On Letterman. Stereogum. 3 November 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  8. ↑ Breihan, Tom. Father John Misty – “Chateau Lobby #4 (In C For Two Virgins)” Video. Stereogum. 8 December 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  9. 1 2 Tillman, Josh. "Hear the New Song, "Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)" by Father John Misty Now". Sub Pop. Sam Sawyer. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  10. ↑ Young, Alex. Father John Misty “streaming” new album I Love You, Honeybear on his new digital music platform. Consequence of Sound. 27 January 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  11. 1 2 Sawyer, Sam. "On the subject of the Deluxe LP Edition of Father John Misty’s I Love You, Honeybear…". Sub Pop. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  12. 1 2 "Reviews for I Love You, Honeybear by Father John Misty". Metacritic. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  13. 1 2 Monger, James Christopher. "I Love You, Honeybear – Father John Misty". AllMusic. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  14. ↑ Terry, Josh (February 10, 2015). "Father John Misty tackles romance on the masterful I Love You, Honeybear". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  15. ↑ Lenz, Kristofer (February 4, 2015). "Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  16. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (February 5, 2015). "Father John Misty: I Love You, Honeybear review – beautiful songs of unclear meaning". The Guardian. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  17. ↑ Denney, Alex (February 3, 2015). "Father John Misty – 'I Love You, Honeybear'". NME. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  18. 1 2 Powell, Mike (February 9, 2015). "Father John Misty: I Love You, Honeybear". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  19. ↑ Hermes, Will (February 10, 2015). "I Love You, Honeybear". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  20. ↑ Rains, James (February 4, 2015). "Father John Misty: I Love You, Honeybear". Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  21. ↑ Carley, Brennan (February 9, 2015). "SPIN Album of the Week: Father John Misty's Breathtaking 'I Love You, Honeybear'". Spin. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  22. ↑ Thomson, Graeme (March 3, 2015). "Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear". Uncut. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  23. ↑ Ritchie, Matthew. "Father John Misty I Love You, Honeybear". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  24. ↑ Mook, Aaron. "Father John Misty - I Lobe You, Honeyber [Album Review]". AbsolutePunk. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  25. ↑ Hirsh, Marc. Father John Misty, ‘I Love You Honeybear’. Boston Globe. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  26. ↑ McCarthy, Sean (February 9, 2015). "Father John Misty: I Love You, Honeybear". PopMatters. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  27. ↑ "The 15 Best Albums Of 2015". The AV Club. The Onion. December 7, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  28. ↑ "NME'S Albums of the Year 2015". nme.com. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
  29. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2015". Pitchfork. December 16, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Readers' Poll Results 2015". Pitchfork. January 5, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  31. ↑ "Albums of the Year 2015". roughtrade.com. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
  32. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2015". Stereogum. SpinMedia. 2015-12-01. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
  33. 1 2 White, Emily (February 20, 2015). "Modest Mouse Scores First No. 1 on Adult Alternative Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  34. 1 2 Lynch, Joe (July 2, 2015). "Taylor Swift's '1989' Tops 2015 Vinyl Sales; See the Other 9 Best Sellers So Far". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  35. ↑ "I Love You, Honeybear – Father John Misty – Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  36. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  37. ↑ "Father John Misty – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Father John Misty. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  38. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  39. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  40. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  41. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  42. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  43. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  44. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  45. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  46. ↑ "Father John Misty | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  47. ↑ "Father John Misty – Chart history" Billboard Top Alternative Albums for Father John Misty. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  48. ↑ "Father John Misty – Chart history" Billboard Folk Albums for Father John Misty. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  49. ↑ "Father John Misty – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Father John Misty. Retrieved February 20, 2015.

External links

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