Kevin Bronson on March 19th, 2013

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Sean Tillman is all about breaking things down – songs, genres and, especially in his guise as Har Mar Superstar, inhibitions. The diminutive man with the monster musical chops might be mistaken for a clown prince of kitsch if not for his innate ability to embrace the heart of every form he tackles. And on the new Har Mar album “Bye Bye 17” (out April 23 on Julian Casablancas’ Cult Records), it’s more the Motown sound than the ’80s disco R&B of 2009’s “Dark Touches.” The Minnesota native, who gave up the L.A. life for New York City last year, made the new album in Austin with producer Jim Eno (of Spoon). The full-band (yes, horns) affair reveals Tillman as an old soul – he cops to having immersed himself in Otis Redding and Sam Cooke in conceiving the album – and songs like “We Don’t Sleep” and “Everywhere I’m Local” indicate he hasn’t lost his sense of humor. Are the heydays of rocking a disco party in his skivvies over? Who knows, but if “Bye Bye 17” ushers in a different era of “old days,” it’ll be OK. He still has the songs.

||| Stream: “Lady, You Shot Me”

||| Live: Har Mar Superstar, along with the Virgins and COLOR, plays the Bootleg Bar on Thursday night.

Photo by Guy Eppel