The Black Door

Description

What lies behind The Black Door? An essence of otherness embodied by Cole Berliner, who unfolds a vibrant acoustic sequence of bucolic instrumentals, in search of a bygone beauty. Atheist and spiritualist, composer and performer of progressive pop, Cole aspired to create his own spiritual music. The Black Door demanded exploring traditional genres like country, blues, fingerstyle, gospel, film music, and ambient—all elements Cole masters perfectly, blending and combining styles and moods. Add to that a cosmic outpouring of consciousness, a true tour de force, and The Black Door swung wide open! Initially conceived as solo acoustic guitar pieces, the songs required in the studio the dynamic of an acoustic ensemble (a departure from his work with Kamikaze Palm Tree and Sharpie Smile). This was a key element. The arrangements form complex passages for acoustic, electric, and lap steel guitars, acoustic/electric bass, piano, drums, percussion, violin, viola, brass, woodwinds, and synthesizers. Cole is joined by violinist Laena Myers, as well as Garret Lang, Dylan Hadley, Sofia Arreguin, Robert Earl Thomas, Michael Sachs, Sarah Safaie, Kilan Thorns, and Cesar Hernandez, not to mention Cesar Maria, who mixed and co-produced the album with him. The music of The Black Door is authentic modern folk, imbued with a touch of off-kilter psychedelia. It fits into a production ecosystem blending eerie (but benevolent) ghost theater, an elegant setting for a surreal and perfectly civilized mystery, and an exquisite chamber acoustic folk puzzle. And there you have it! Cole Berliner's first solo album is rich and nuanced parlor instrumental music, unfolding naturally through speakers and beyond—an album that touches us deeply, in the lineage of Bert Jansch's Avocet, Marc Ribot's Saints, and Jim O'Rourke's Bad Timing. By infusing the very essence of music with a succession of new moods and nuances, Cole Berliner makes The Black Door a complete album of musical transformations.