Christopher Coll: – The Black Doorway (EP)
Style Records – 30 October 2020
“Malojian is dead, Long Live Style Records!”
Well, it’s not exactly as dramatic as that, but it’s a big thing to a lot of people. Hailing from Lurgan, Co. Armagh, Malojian (aka Stevie Scullion) has built up an army of followers over the years. And rightly so. In its earliest form, Cat Malojian released some sterling records under the watchful eye of the late, great Mudd Wallace. Some years later under the more stream-lined Malojian moniker, Stevie’s records came into maturity with lyrics of such depth, they could rival many of your favourite songwriters. Working with the likes of Steve Albini and Joey Waronker must have taught him a thing or two as most of his latest releases have been self-produced, that is until his forthcoming album Humm which is a collaboration with Grandaddy’s Jason Lytle.
As you can see, Stevie is not one to sit still. So when a few weeks ago the Malojian brand began to disappear from all social media, only to be replaced with Style Records, it began to worry some fans. Many have become to rely on this prolific writer’s ability to provide them with annual ear-candy and would find themselves at a loss without. Is this going to be the last Malojian record?? We don’t know. What we do know however is that Style Records is here and it has wasted no time in announcing its first release…The Black Doorway from Christopher Coll.
A Vision is just that. Coll immediately presents a world of shady characters. Whether they are real or not is the question. Coll’s ability to transport you into his nightmare is quite remarkable. There is a shaky vulnerability in his thick baritone voice. When he moves to an angelic falsetto in the chorus, it makes me catch my breath. In the first twenty seconds, I had found a close comparison to Mark Lanegan. About a minute in now, and he has left said artist in his wake.
Maybe sleep is the answer but not the cure,
Were your thoughts just poured from the bottle, you can’t be sure.
Your questions are only seeds planted in the wrong minds
They won’t show any answers, they won’t show any signs.
Into the Ocean offers some light relief from the tension of the first. Well, sort of. It’s the kind of song that anyone could turn into a pop classic. And hopefully, someday, someone will. Tom Waits has always said that he made most of his money from other people singing his songs, and it could happen here. Coll, like Waits, offers a delivery to each number where no pop reinvention will ever dare go, but for me, it’s the best way. I love music that makes me continually question my instincts. If this is a simple love song, why does it feel like the singer is a broken man? And so, my imagination immediately goes into overdrive about backstories, settings, everything that makes you want to come back for more.
The Black Doorway betrays Coll’s true talent. The man is a poet…
The artist hand, it works upon a portrait of the past.
But tries to erase the darkness in this shadow cast
and that shadow just grows longer and darker by the day,
a blueprint for a chalk outline of where we’ll aim to lay.
The mind is our own T.V. show with a lifetime of a cast
But the signal’s hitting problems and the picture doesn’t last.
The products that they’re are selling, they are on the shelves no more
The stories they are telling, we have heard them all before.
A Black Doorway lies ahead…
I’m reminded of Sun Kil Moon when For Avery begins. On a first listen to the former, I was amazed at his courage in opening up his personal life for all to see, warts and all. That’s me assuming that Coll has a daughter called Avery. If he has, she has will be able to carry with her a lovely code to live life by. If he hasn’t, then his imagination and empathy are off the charts.
Her & I is Coll at his most quaint, a tribute to his better half and an appreciation for a life turned around. This sentiment is reinforced in An Apology as we get a glimpse of that previous life. Sometimes it’s all about timing. The right person comes along at the right time, be it a partner in life or in music. It seems to me that timing may be working in Christopher Coll’s favour these days. His life is presently one filled with muses and champions. The former inspires, the latter releases. What more could an artist ask for?
According to my notes, Chris Coll has to date, recorded over 30 albums with his band ‘Lost in the Fog’. However, as his musical career develops, I can’t imagine anyone capturing him as honestly as Stevie Scullion has done with The Black Doorway E.P. It was recorded in one session in November ’19. The songs are a proper collection that all lean into one another under the one roof. Whatever magic was in the air that day, it made its way onto this record. Sometimes you only get one chance to experience the magic. I hope I’m wrong.
With this release Style Records have announced that they will be staying well clear of all streaming services. The Black Door will be on sale from their Bandcamp store or a lucky 100 people will be able to buy it on ltd. edition 12″ vinyl. Don’t find yourself left without. Style with plenty of substance.
Pre-Order via Bandcamp: https://christophercoll.bandcamp.com/