CAT MALOJIAN - Cat Malojian

Terrible. That's what the slang phrase "Cat Malojian" means in Irish, and it's precisely the name chosen, perhaps as a bit of a superstitious charm, by Stevie Scullion and Jonathan Toman for their acoustic-folk project with a distinctly bluegrass flavour.

In truth, you only need to listen to a couple of tracks by these two lads, born and raised among the green hills of County Armagh in Northern Ireland, to realise that their music could hardly be called "terrible".

Guitar, banjo and voice: the Cat Malojian formula is, all things considered, a relatively simple one, but it's precisely in the warmth of Stevie's voice, the sunny lightness of his picking and the measured verve of Jonathan's banjo that the extraordinary grace of their debut album resides, preceded by two EPs ("Life Rolls On" and "We're Alright") that garnered plenty of praise from critics and beyond - the title track of "Life Rolls On" was used by a well-known mobile phone brand for an advertising campaign in 2007.

Dropped by their own label, the self-titled album by “Cat Malojian” has a regal bearing, moving sinuously between the alleys of country-folk and the back streets of Americana (“Who Knows?”, “Life Rolls On”, “Guiding Light”), howling at the moon of Irish tradition (“Have Mercy On Me”), or curling up comfortably on the steps of bluegrass (“Parsnips & Carrots”, “Bursting Bubbles”). Stevie Scullion's songwriting is extremely refined, and the crystalline arrangements of the tracks are always impeccable, free of excess or rough edges.

Listening to the Irish duo's music gives a sense of comforting warmth, reinforced by Jonathan and Stevie's touches of mandolin and harmonica respectively, as well as the instrumental forays (violin and French horn above all) of the numerous guests.

Like a noble knight straight out of Geoffrey Chaucer's pen, Stevie Scullion gives himself over amiably to tales of love, nostalgia and hope, caressing the songs with a fresh, luminous breeze (“The day is golden look at the sky/ the clouds are folding watch them fly”) shadowed by an inevitable autumnal melancholy (“Trees are losing their leaves/ They're blowing away”).

With its velvety movements and slightly sly air, the self-titled album by Cat Malojian is enjoyable from the very first listen, but to truly fall in love with its softness and its naturally aristocratic bearing, you need to spend a lot of time in its company, because this album gives itself up slowly, revealing its truest, most intimate nature only over time. Like any self-respecting feline.

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23/02/2009