J. Tillman, Year in the Kingdom

Soft, peaceful and occasionally silent, J. Tillman's new release Year in the Kingdom is a perfect shadow of Vacilando Territory Blues (released earlier this year). This release, if you can believe it, is even more silent than some of his earlier work. On tracks like "There is No Good in Me" the music all together halts, and screeches from what sounds like a child's rusty swing set bring us back together with familiar plucks from behind a harp of sorts. Most of the songs are very prayer like, pleading, leading us through tails of broken religion and distant heartbreak. Tillman's melodies are always beautiful and this new release has further solidified him as not just another singer-songwriter. The only downside to the album is a lack of a buildup. Even his most intense songs are not nearly what they could be. But what Tillman lacks in intensity, he makes up for with emotion and that is ultimately why we love him.

J. Tillman

Your life would be better of with J. Tillman in it. Recently we rediscovered him while reading Fricke's Picks in the Rolling Stone, where he is quoted to be: "a compelling whirl of Laurel Canyon-echo balladry and desolate-psychedelia stomp." We consider Tillman to be among the great songwriters of our day.  You may know him better for his drumming in Fleet Foxes more than for his solo work, but that will soon change. Tillman is getting more and more recognition as a solo artist and we feel he is well on his way to becoming a much bigger name. We only hope he finds time to break away from the successes of the Foxes, to come our way soon.  His new album, "Year In The Kingdom" is scheduled to come out in September through Western Vinyl and Bella Union. Amazingly enough you can take a sneak-peek listen at an unmastered  track entitled "Earthly Bodies" here. You can also hear a few more unmastered tracks from the upcoming record on Tillman's myspace page.  Also take listen to a track off of his latest album Vacilando Territory Blues here.   (this track just so happens to be a MMMMOVE REVIEW FAVORITE: Steel on Steel)