Neil Milton – Skies / Seas (Valentine Records)

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Creating music since the late ’90s, Warsaw based Scottish musician Neil Milton has made available his first release in eighteen months with a double EP set on Manchester’ Valentine Records.

While both EPs contain remnants of classical, post-rock and ambient, Skies is certainly the more peaceful of the two. Opener ‘Elegy For Tramway’ begins with a solitary piano loop, before layers of sorrowful strings are piled on, whilst lonely sonar signals cut through the piece. Milton’s palette widens considerably on ‘178,329,600 Seconds’ – with its additional choir, brass, and percussion it initially seems almost out of place, but when paired with the other lullaby of ‘As You Sleep’ with its pillowy and gentle unaccompanied piano, it acts as a fitting respite from the usual sombre sounds.

While Skies contains cracks of light, Seas is the far more ominous, menacing and rewarding side. With a vinyl hiss backing, glacial and pristine vocals and lonely strings, the post-rock eulogy ‘Your Smile Is My Ghost’s reminds of Stars Of The Lid at their most solemn. The tortured and sinister ‘A Harbour’ is a looming closer, with circular and warped droning strings and heavy bass pulses sounding at once tense and relieving.

It’s heavy going, but always enchanting and oddly calming. Perfect for listening to before falling asleep, it is never anything less than beautifully melancholic. It is available now for a price of your choosing from the label’ bandcamp website, valentinerecords.bandcamp.com

Wyatt Lawton-Masi

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