Blake Mills could have gone the route of a world famous pop producer. As a producer he’s worked with Alabama Shakes, Fiona Apple, Perfume Genius, Sky Ferreira, and Marcus Mumford. And as a session musician he’s played with Bob Dylan, Weezer, Conor Oberst, Pink, Dixie Chicks, and Lana Del Rey to name just a few. Mills could have gone the route of someone like Jack Antonoff, but instead he went his own, unique musical path.
Mills released his debut album in 2010, and in 2014 released his sophomore LP Heigh Ho. Heigh Ho showed a massive musical talent; showcasing not only his prodigious guitar playing but a unique and singular songwriting voice. Mills brought to mind everyone from Randy Newman to Harry Nilsson to Bonnie Raitt and Ry Cooder.
Instead of continuing the 70s singer/songwriter fare Blake Mills went the more esoteric route, releasing instrumental albums with Roland guitar synthesizers, a collaborative album with Pino Palladino, and his 2020 album Mutable Set. Mutable Set left behind the bright, Laurel Canyon vibes of Heigh Ho for a quieter, darker, and more immersive listening experience.
With his latest album Jelly Road, Mills teams up with jazz musician Chris Weisman for a set of intimate and densely-layered tracks that go from folksy to experimental at the drop of a hat. Mills’ voice enters and leaves the songs like a spirit, giving us a ghostly narrator to walk us through. It’s a thoughtful and engaging listen.
“Suchlike Horses” opens with cascading stringed instruments, sounding like William Tyler or Steve Gunn. It’s a gorgeous and dreamy song, eliciting visions of cascading clouds and purple-hued skies. “Highway Bright” has a sparse arrangement of a click-clack rhythm and low-brassy notes that could either be horns or a weird synth sound. It has a very Jon Brion sound to it.
Elsewhere tracks like “Skeleton Is Walking”, “The Light Is Long”, and “Press My Luck” showcase Mills unique songwriting and production prowess, turning what could have been a pretty standard pop folk song into something more otherworldly. “Without An Ending” ends the record on a thoughtful and near jazz note.
Throughout Jelly Road Blake Mills lays out an at times gorgeous and at other times mysterious set of songs. Taking his acoustic compositions and artfully and tastefully rewiring them into something quite unique. This is not a run of the mill record, and Blake Mills is not a run of the mill artist.
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