Milton Cross "Light in the West" CD $13
You might not have heard of Milton Cross, but you've certainly heard of the main band he's in (Tarentel). He's also a member of Dial Square and Party of Doom. "Light in the West" was originally self-released in a limited CDR format, but has now been remastered and reworked (some tracks removed, some new ones added) and reborn in this new skin.

Cross does his best work when he's playing his violin or harmonium. He's classically trained and his skill is immediately apparent. Both instruments permeate the album, adding a thick layer of glowing warmth to the songs which they haunt. From the heartbreaking opener, "It's Been Almost a Year" to the quiet, wavering whispers of "Future Ghost," Cross has created an album full of endless layers and organic details. Each listen reveals something new to dissect and digest. It's an album we are very proud to resurrect from the ether.

Packaged in two-color silkscreened gatefolds. Limited to 500 copies. All new artwork by Eden Hemming Rose.

First 100 copies include special, handnumbered pressed-leaf insert.

tracklist:
1. it's been almost a year
2. mountain pulses
3. mull it over from the midwest
4. leaves do not have meaning
5. first there came a letter from a tree
6. passeriformes
7. slow footsteps kept me whole
8. light in the west where it will always be morning
9. fate & flowers
10. future ghost

Praise for Milton Cross:
"Light in the West mines similar musical geography as improv-folk supergroup Badgerlore, Scott Morgan's Loscil project (especially his Submers ) release, and, perhaps most importantly, the Michael Krassner-led Boxhead Ensemble. All of these groups work the rich vein between melody and improvisation and they all do so with a sense of clarity and vision that that makes for great and cohesive albums. Milton Cross' Light in the West is on par with the best of those and it stands as one of the very best—and here comes it's logical genre—improvised ambient field recording folk projects released to today. Bravo Milton Cross. Bravo, indeed." - Christian Kiefer, Blurt

"Despite some sparse layering the album is incredibly dense and pocketed with thick atmospheres that you’ll love dissecting. Perfect." ­ Smother

"A beautiful record, simple and direct, Cross isn't out to wow listeners with virtuosic technique, rather his forte is atmosphere, without the saccharine connotations of New Age Shamanism. Fans of the Chicago school of post-rock are definitely advised to check out Light In The West." - Cadence Magazine

"While he employs traditional instruments, very little of the sound itself is orthodox: The guitar is used to recreate peculiar plucked tones on "passeriformes," for instance, and the other instruments are largely responsible for creating thick but pleasing sheets of ambient sound." - Dead Angel