god's favorite customer album review
Joshua Michael Tillman and his band are in full flight from the onset of God’s Favorite Customer with Hangout at the Gallows. The whole far greater than the sum of its parts. The surgical precision in which each member and their respective instrument accompany, at just the right moment, Tillman’s ponderous lyrics are exquisite. The crescendoing track escalates as Tillman questions more and more ‘what is your religion’ and with each lack of response the force at which the piano keys are struck only increases in frustration before it all abruptly ends.
Watching you watching me is Mr Tillman. Recanting the story in which he is telling about an incident squarely related to his own flaunting of the rules for which he is being questioned. The pretend astonishment and bewilderment of his own acts caught on tape are characteristically the cheek and disregard we secretly love about Tillman. The undulating acoustic and baby xylophone accompaniment make for the most fitting musical selection to the Gonzo journalism of Mr. Tillman.
If there were one track on God’s Favorite Customer that suited the artwork for the record it would be Just Dumb Enough To Try. The tired and torn feeling of wanting to stay or leave is no more evident in this track but what is less obvious is whether Tillman is describing his thoughts about someone else or that of another questioning their belief in him. The fractured sentiment is captured in the unpredictable and sporadic bursts of fuzzed out feedback, gentle acoustic guitar picking and ethereal soundscapes.
The upbeat, vibrant and invigorating Date Night brings together elements of surfer rock, sixties swagger and indie folk. The pulsating track has stars with gutters in their eyes. The exuberance and enthusiasm for the meek is the delicious irony that makes Tillman a master craftsman.
The saloon style of Please Don’t Die, complete with its gathering around the piano, whisky in hand, banjo picking and harmonica is a plea to not waste the good years before it is too late to release that they were the good years.
Solitary, peaceful and tender is The Palace. Simple key strokes and a smattering of acoustic notes is all that is needed on this eloquent track. In the background is the sound of rain as if to frame the sense of isolation and worry Tillman feels as he informs the listener that he is “in over his head”.
The angelic vocals of Tillman in Disappointing Diamonds Are The Rarest Of Them All marries a fusion of horns, keys and guitar fx. If there were a hidden track on Revolver by The Beatles that no one ever noticed till now, this would be it with its superficial optimism but bitter truth delivered in a saccharine sweet mix of alt rock harmonies.
Self-titled God’s Favorite Customer is a folk ballad with its ambling piano, wistful harmonica and wood wind highlights. Painting the picture of a desolate individual reaching out for sensitivity but as the outro fades, a realisation sets in that it was never forthcoming.
A blindingly transparent autobiography in The Songwriter is as honest and reflective as Tillman can be. No euphemisms, no lyrical brutality, just an introspection of confusion from two points of view. The simple pairing of Tillman’s vocals and keys is an achingly simple and candid piece.
The broad, sweeping statements of We’re Only People (And There’s Not Much Anyone Can Do About That) is a collective statement to the world and its inhabitants. Part defeat and part optimistic, there is an acceptance here that Tillman does not display in spades very often which is that we are all one and share the same common trials and tribulations. Stylistically the track has hints of old but where it differs is in its lingering afterthought as the final track and the sentiment Tillman is revealing about himself and new found world view.
