Blake Miller
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At only 19 years old and hailing from the college town of Columbus, Ohio, Blake
Miller stands to quickly become one of the most renowned singer-songwriters
of our day. But to call Blake a singer-songwriter is perhaps a misnomer,
because there are far more dynamics going on here than a solitary voice
accompanied by a lone guitar. His mastery of melody and arrangement creates
songs that range from the haunting to the intimate, but contain an honesty
that allows him to stay far enough outside the lyrical styling of the “freak
folk” movement to create something truly distinct. The songs contained
here on Together with Cats exhibit vocal melodies suggestive of a combination
of Devendra Barnhart and Grizzly Bear, coupled with the intimacy and earnestness
of early Iron & Wine recordings.
Together with Cats chronicles home recordings made over the past year by
Blake Miller and a rotating group of friends as collaborators. Slide guitar,
violin, some mouth-based percussion, and more, pepper the album, but the
dominate instrument is Blake’s voice—which is often multi-layered
and provides a richness and texture to the album that makes you forget all
else. After hearing these recordings through a mutual friend at a coffee
shop, Exit Stencil approached Blake and ended up selecting 12 songs from
his vast catalog to create a document that would portray a nascent talent
coming of age.
In addition to Together with Cats, Blake Miller is beginning to work on
his first studio record with Exit Stencil that will surface sometime in
late 2007.