My dear friend Jonas Burgwinkel was the one who told me about Blake Mills first, hipping me to his album “Heigh Ho”. I liked it right away.
But it was Blake’s “Mutable Set” that completely turned me around. It really hit me and I somehow became addicted to it, listening to it all the time. It’s probably the record I listened to the most during 2020. I love to get lost in music like that.
Blake actually changed the way I listen to music, making me more aware of the impact of great production on a record. And there’s a patience and honesty in his music that really moves me: Being a killer guitarist while having total restraint, never showing off — that’s rare. To me, Blake is of this singular breed of artists that are totally unpredictable, where you never know what they’ll do next. I mean, I couldn’t have predicted “Look” after “Heigh Ho” or “Notes with Attachments” after “Mutable Set”. Can’t wait to hear what he’ll come up with next. But I already know that I’ll be listening closely.
A few notes about the story behind this interview:
Chris Weisman helped me get in touch with Blake. Our inverview went great, we talked a lot about “Mutable Set” and I was super excited to share it as soon as possible. However, when the first single of the Blake Mills/Pino Palladino record was released soon after, I knew I needed to talk to him once more. There would have been no point in releasing the interview without addressing this new music. I’m so grateful that Blake agreed on another talk with me. In our second conversation we went through every song on the new album and Blake offered incredible insights into the process behind it.