Jenks Miller wears a lot of hats. One minute he's booking/promoting shows in and around the NC triangle -- the next, drumming in the noisenik squall of In the Year of the Pig or the bubblegum pop of Un Deux Trois. After that, he finds time to lead his own projects, such as the introspective drone of Horseback and solo projects like this one, recorded under his own moniker. Essentially, Horseback is Jenks Miller on his own, and last year's shimmering debut Impale Golden Horn was a marked achievement in establishing a basis for Mr. Miller's main focus: the guitar. Flecks of feedback crumbled around his surprisingly twisting and melodic structures. The sonics and effects were a big part of what made the woozy and cerebral sounds so intriguing.
Approaching the Invisible Mountain is a much more straightforward affair. The effects and layers have been stripped, and a simple, blues-based riff (known as "Babylon Destroyer Pts. I-VI") is employed dutifully throughout the album, with some rare lapses of chord structure. There is no real deviation from this spare, haunting repetition, which slowly starts to sink in after a few listens. It would be right at home in a Coen Brothers film.
The album is improvised, which can be both its blessing and curse. You can feel the room breathe on the recording, which gives it immediacy and also reveals Miller's tasteful restraint. At some points, it seems as if he'll wander off into new, uncharted territories, but he stays on his own path, gracefully thwarting the listener's expectations. By bending a note, pausing to let the segments resonate, and then resuming form, he makes Approaching the Invisible Mountain something both plotted and intentional.
That's where the irony comes in; this record is meant to be off-the-cuff, but by toying with a classic blues guitar tone and structure, Miller allows himself to stray every now and then, while being spared the risk of a stumble. While it is a bit hard to imagine "enjoying" the claustrophobic feel of Miller's take on the traditional spaghetti western, there are small treasures imparted to the ones who can not only hear it, but see it for what it is: the sound of someone of diverse talents and projects, sitting down, maybe a bit tired, getting back to the thing they love to do most.
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