With the exception of "All This," which is a re-recorded favorite from Miles's first album, Miles started writing "Notes of Life," in  November 2007 with the song "Heart Opens Wide." With kind words from friends, some saying this was his "best song," he realized this was a good launching pad for his next album. On April 22, with a lot more writing for the album done, Miles released "Heart Opens Wide," as the first single off "Notes of Life," coinciding with his performance at the Campus Idol competition at the UW-Madison Memorial Union. His expected release date for the album was October until his computer with all of the recording was stolen in September, thought to  be lost forever. By some miracle, the police found the computer unscathed and so the process went on. Miles put the final touches on the album in late November and it was mixed by the very talented Scott Lamps at DNA studios in Madison, WI in the first weeks of December.
"Notes of Life," reveals a more matured songwriter who has found his sound; moments of tension and repose are magnified. Miles draws from some of his main influences to create powerful, emotional climaxes, while still maintaining the critical intimacy of an acoustic sound. Such nuances took time to develop. "Notes of Life" was not written or recorded in a week, or even a month. These "Notes" have been carefully written and re-written, changing each time they are performed, whittled to create what you hear now. The first sound of the album is a quitely plucked guitar, serenaded by a wistful violin; "All I've Found is You," has a duality relating to love and religion, which for many are one in the same. "I hope what John said is true," is simultaneously about John Lennon's song "All You Need is Love," and chapter 15 of the book of John in the Bible, much of which is about love, including the passage, "Love one another as I have loved you." This duality is found all over the album, even in the title. "Never Stop Remembering, Pt. 2," the last song of the album, is a follow-up song to another on "The Scenic Route." This time, it's a personal dialogue, expressing the look of a blank canvass of life in front of him. The only question is, "Who will paint it?" And so, the song finishes with a lost guitar, completely unsure how it will end up. This is where the story stops, for now. These first and last sounds are unsung bookends, only the first and last lines in Miles's "Notes of Life."
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Abbie Wilson created the album cover and all graphic design for the album. She painted the artwork for "The Scenic Route," but decided to take a different approach with "Notes of Life." Having had the concept of using fabrics in the back of her head, Abbie did as much of the graphic design work without any computer processing as possible. She sewed, wrote, and collaged things manually and then scanned them in for only finishing touches. Abbie went to high school with Miles in Waukesha, and is now a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The imagery of this album is largely her vision. I think you'll agree she did a marvelous job.
The photography for the album was all done by Pati Mo, a fellow student at UW-Madison. All of the pictures were taken in October & November, when the leaves were absolutely beautiful in Madison. Pati is a working photographer. She works for businesses, takes portraits of people for things like senior pictures, among many other projects.
