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The Album Effect episode 16 discusses I Love You, Honeybear by Father John Misty, American Saturday Night by Brad Paisley, Fever to Tell by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child, plus more. Hosted by Manny, Nick, Dave, and Britt.
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Episode 16 Albums:
I Love You, Honeybear (2015)
Father John Misty
Father John Misty is the better-known alias of Josh Tillman – son of Evangelical Christians, former Fleet Foxes drummer, indie folk provocateur. Raised in religious schools he’s described as “culturally oppressive,” and only allowed to listen to Christian music before the age of 17, Tillman moved to Seattle after dropping out of New York Christian school Nyack College. There he recorded a number of melancholy, singer/songwriter-style albums under the J. Tillman moniker before joining Fleet Foxes in 2008. After a tumultuous stay with the indie band, he left in 2012 to set about his new journey as Father John Misty, releasing his first album “Fear Fun” the same year.
Though his first release did gain some traction, particularly for single “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings,” his sophomore album brought vastly more attention to the unconventional indie star. In typically absurdist fashion, Misty debuted a lo-fi instrumental version of the album in January of 2015 on fake streaming site, Streamline Audio Protocol. The stunt designed to mock services like Pandora and Spotify provided a first taste of what would become the critically-acclaimed “I Love You Honeybear.” Many took notice of the album due to the video for “The Night Josh Tillman Came to Our Apartment,” a buzz-generating clip in which the singer goes on a date with himself.
Tillman’s trademark wit and sarcasm permeate songs he says reflect the ups and downs of his personal life at the time, including meeting and falling in love with his future wife. Musically, the album treads in a similar vein as the biting indie folk of “Fear Fun,” though orchestral touches and electronic beats push it further than its predecessor, revealing a more varied side to Misty’s work.
American Saturday Night (2009)
Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley has been on the path to country stardom since the age of eight. Ever since his grandfather gave him his first guitar, he had a love for the down-home style and was writing his own songs by the time he was a teenager. Paisley was quickly noticed in his West Virginia hometown, earning a spot on the weekly Jamboree USA show and opening for country luminaries like The Judds and George Jones while still in high school.
Only one week after graduating from Nashville’s Belmont University, he received his first songwriting contract and signed a recording contract three years later. Viewed as something of a bridge between traditional county and more pop-friendly fare, Paisley went on to become both a commercial and critical success, all of his albums certified Gold or higher.
Paisley’s seventh album, American Saturday Night, was a bit of a departure for an artist that had become known for comedic country fare. Opening with a song intended to celebrate America’s cultural melting pot, Paisley strove for more poignant lyrics on this release. Though never overtly political, the album is certainly influenced by American society the year after Obama was elected president, and it provides a sharp contrast to the conservatism commonly associated with country artists of that era. More traditional ballads and break-up songs weave throughout a radio-friendly album that garnered mostly positive reviews, earning Paisley the Male Vocalist of the Year honors at 2009’s CMA Awards.
Fever to Tell (2003)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs might have been an acoustic 2-piece band, had it not been for the influence of Ohio’s art school punk scene. Formed in NYC by singer Karen O and guitarist Nick Zinner, the band was originally a duo called Unitard, before they decided to go for a grittier sound modeled on Karen O’s exposure to avant-punk bands during her time at Oberlin College. Not long after their first rehearsals, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs – now a trio with drummer Brian Chase – were offered opening spots with indie mainstays The White Stripes and The Strokes. All this before they released their debut EP in 2001.
2003 proved the true breakthrough year for the trio, however, as it saw the release of their full-length debut, Fever to Tell. Originally intended for Chicago indie Touch and Go, the album ended up being their major label debut, when the band opted to go with Interscope, after being offered a lucrative deal that allowed them to maintain creative control. The first two singles, “Date with the Night” and “Pin” didn’t generate much mainstream buzz, but third single “Maps” got the masses talking.
Though much of the album showcased the raw energy of Karen O’s PJ Harvey-esque vocals set to ferocious dance punk melodies, it was this comparatively laid-back song about the singer’s former relationship with Liars’ frontman Angus Andrew that launched them toward success. In a year that also featured huge releases from the likes of Radiohead, The White Stripes and The Postal Service, Fever to Tell topped many critics’ year-end lists, garnering near-universal acclaim.
I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child (2006)
Manchester Orchestra
Despite their name, Manchester Orchestra originated not from the English music mecca, but instead from the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. Created by singer/guitarist Andy Hull, the indie band grew from songs he began writing in high school, particularly during his senior year. Hull’s frustration with the Christian school he was attending led him to opt for homeschooling during this final year, which also provided him time for recording in his own basement studio. A complicated relationship with religion informed some of his early songs’ lyrics, as did more traditional teen angst and heartbreak.
Manchester Orchestra’s full-length debut was originally self-released on Hull’s Favorite Gentleman label, but positive word of mouth brought it to the attention of Canvasback, who released it nationally in July 2007. Stylistically, I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child was a multifaceted work, lunging from traditional indie songs to acoustic ballads to despair-ridden emo.
Hull’s high-pitched vocals bear a similarity to Placebo’s Brian Molko, and the band was compared to everyone from Death Cab for Cutie to Brand New, who they toured with during this era. Interestingly, Manchester Orchestra didn’t receive much critical attention at the time, though they do owe a bit of their popularity to the world of hockey video games, as the album’s first track, “Wolves at Night,” gained popularity through the NHL 08 soundtrack.
