Break Mirrors is Mills’ debut solo album and the latest step in a remarkable musical career that has seen everyone from Kid Rock to Cass McCombs solicit his services as a guitarist. Mills’ trip began with Simon Dawes, the young L.A. rock outfit he formed with his childhood pal Taylor Goldsmith. They made an album, Carnivore, and eventually shared stages with some of the biggest bands in America, cranking out a fresh yet classic sound the Los Angeles Times called “exhilarating.”
After his collaboration with Goldsmith ran its course, Mills moved into the next phase of his career, as sideman to the stars. He moved quickly, too: In only a few short years Mills has become one of the most in-demand session guitarists in all of Los Angeles, touring with Cass McCombs, Jenny Lewis, Band of Horses and Julian Casablancas and recording with Weezer, Kid Rock, Jakob Dylan , Andrew Bird, and Jesca Hoop, among others.
“When it comes to playing guitar for other people,” he says, “...a lot of my dreams have already come true.”
Now Mills is taking center stage with a set of tunes that reflect that extraordinary wealth of experience. Recorded in casual bursts between other gigs over the course of much of 2009, Break Mirrors strikes a perfect balance between talent and tastefulness: You won’t miss Mills’ impressive playing—check out the fuzzy slide guitar solo on “Hiroshima,” for starters—but what sticks with you is his songwriting, which hits a bittersweet coming-of-age note.
In “It’ll All Work Out” he analyzes his parents’ marriage and comes to some surprising conclusions, and “History of My Life” ponders the best way to celebrate one’s privileges. (“It’s about a humility that comes with the transition into adulthood,” Mills says with typical thoughtfulness.) Elsewhere, “Cheers” documents a painful breakup, while “Hey Lover” celebrates the healthy relationship Mills is in right now.
“I wrote that song while I was on a tour and showed it to her when I got back home,” he says. “And then we actually ended up singing it together on this record.” With a laugh Mills describes the track as “my first song of having someone after one too many songs of longing.”
“Hey Lover” may only be rivaled by the album's artwork, for which Mills sought the help of acclaimed artist Sage Vaughn; together, the two collaborated in creating a collage that represents each song.
The music on Break Mirrors comes out of a long tradition of mellow Southern California rock. Yet, perhaps thanks to Mills’ work for other artists, the songs also reveal traces of something entirely different.
There’s also a sly sense of humor in much of the material that Mills credits to his time with Ben Bridwell and Ryan Monroe (Band of Horses). “There's a humor in some people's music that is not kitschy,” he explains. “And in some of those cases it ends up uncovering a certain kind of despair.”
The result is a record that feels as expansive as it does intimate, as forward-looking as it is nostalgic. Blake Mills is much more than the session guy, the band member, or the solo artist. Break Mirrors is the proof.
Half Asleep
Blake Mills Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She turns before the grand reveal
And every time she chickens out
Those old familiar doubts she feels
Songs about a life unlived
Gifts she could not promise you
She'd lie across the bed and give
Oh but is that a song you would want to do
Pours its concrete over your bed
And in the darkness of this room
She kneads you and you rise like bread
And you just lay back and rest
With what little time you share that bed
Put your loving arm across her breast
Half asleep and half undressed
In Blake Mills's song, "Half Asleep," the singer describes a moment with his lover as they lie in bed together, half asleep and half undressed. The first stanza describes the woman's hesitation to fully reveal herself to the singer, as she is weighed down by self-doubt and the feeling that she has not fully lived her life. The singer acknowledges the weight of these doubts and gifts that were never realized, but ultimately wonders whether they are the kind of thing that should be sung about.
The second stanza offers a vivid description of the moon's powerful influence on the singer's surroundings, as it pours "concrete" over his bed. The woman kneads the singer's body, causing him to rise like bread. The singer urges the woman to rest, and he wraps his arm around her breast in a gesture of love and protection. The scene is one of intimacy and vulnerability, as the two lovers are shown at their most unguarded and relaxed.
Overall, "Half Asleep" is a reflective and intimate song that captures a moment of intimacy and vulnerability between two lovers. The lyrics offer rich, evocative imagery that paints a vivid picture of the couple's surroundings and emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Waiting to be brought about
Waiting for something to happen that will change her life and make her feel fulfilled
She turns before the grand reveal
Just as she is about to discover something new, she becomes hesitant and backs away
And every time she chickens out
She is not confident enough to pursue what she desires and keeps holding back
Those old familiar doubts she feels
Her fears and uncertainties have become well-known to her over time
Songs about a life unlived
The music she creates is a longing for a life she has not yet experienced
Gifts she could not promise you
She knows that there are things she cannot give or provide for you
She'd lie across the bed and give
She would offer herself completely to you, even though she cannot fully meet your expectations
Oh but is that a song you would want to do
But would you really be satisfied with such a life?
The greatness of this moon
The moon is a symbol of something grand and powerful
Pours its concrete over your bed
Its influence is so strong that it feels as if your bed is being filled with concrete
And in the darkness of this room
In the quiet and unseen parts of life
She kneads you and you rise like bread
She touches you and you are filled with life and energy
And you just lay back and rest
In response to her touch, you find relief and comfort
With what little time you share that bed
You cherish the small amount of time you have to be with her in bed
Put your loving arm across her breast
You express love by holding and protecting her
Half asleep and half undressed
In a state of vulnerability and closeness
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Adam White
what a peaceful way to contemplate a heavy situation. the half-step down string arr. and the phrasing are fragile and anticipatory, so good.