Father John Misty -- I Love You, Honeybear

Father John Misty is like a pretentious on-again-off-again boyfriend you can't stop thinking about. Sure, he says some douchey stuff, but he makes you feel really good. Also, he's kinda hot. So you decide to keep coming back to him over and over again.

This has got to be one of the best albums of 2015. The emotion, the wordplay, the relatable funny-sadness and the gorgeous lyrics are all components of this incredible album. Even though his pseudonym sounds like a cult leader, Josh Tillman can really work it.

This album is about his relationship with his wife, Emma. In a way, he makes his the romance between him and his wife more universal, as if his love is with the Earth. It makes it seem like his wife is his world, which is sweet. "The future can't be real, I barely know how long a moment is / unless we're naked, getting high on the mattress / while the global market crashes" is a great example of this.

Even though all of this album's songs sound amazing, two tracks in particular carry a Banksy-esque, cynically white male pseudo-edginess which just tires me out at this point. Both "Bored In The USA" and "The Night Josh Tillman Came To Our Apt." feature his singing about how ignorant and arrogant the world is, while he is above it. Which is arrogant in itself. Even though the lyrics have me rolling my eyes (especially "The Night..." which is all about his hate-fucking a girl who says "literally", which makes him "want to fucking scream". Really.) there's something about his self-hatred, or maybe it's the unintentional irony, which keeps these songs from being total losses. They're still very good songs to listen to.

I think it's fair to compare his style to Sufjan Stevens. Both of them put out incredible albums this year, and both have the irresistible way of conveying -- dare I say it -- epic emotion. The sweeping instrumentals matched with Tillman's vocals can literally carry you away.

And, much like that boyfriend you can't seem to forget, Father John Misty knows just what buttons to push to make this experience an enjoyable one.

RELEASE DATE: February 10, 2015
LABEL: Sub Pop
RUN TIME: 45 min
TOP TWO TRACKS: "Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)", "Holy Shit"
GRADE: A
FINAL COMMENTS: The laughtrack in "Bored In The USA" sends shivers down my spine. Literally.