Foxfur
Hauppauge, New York, United States | SELF
Music
Press
John-Flor Sisante, Long Island's mystery music man
by Rafer Guzmán | WITH THE BAND
October 11, 2007
John-Flor Sisante is a mysterious fellow: He releases one of the most perfect pop discs of 2004, receives a glowing write-up in this very column, then basically disappears. He still plays gigs around Long Island and collaborates with other musicians, but this reporter can't get an e-mail returned. Does the man hate good reviews?
Well, here comes another one: Sisante recently posted three new tracks to his MySpace page (myspace.com/johnflor), and they're terrific. They're a far cry from his debut disc, "The Music of Things," in which Sisante sounded like a cross between Dave Matthews at his mellowest and John Mayer at his headiest. This time around, though, Sisante is really stretching his creative boundaries.
The first song, "Means to an End," rolls along on one of Sisante's trademark piano chords - warm, evocative, multicolored - but it also features shuffling drumbeats and a forlorn melody that recalls Death Cab For Cutie (or its electronic offshoot, The Postal Service). At one point, the song seems to collapse in on itself, only to start up again aided by a choir of ethereal voices.
Click on "Icarus," the second song, and wait a few seconds. The link isn't faulty, it's just that the gently strummed guitar takes a while to become audible. Eventually it's joined by a ghostly, piping sound and Sisante's plain, wistful voice. "I've been flying into windows full of promises made," he sings, "that broke." The melody stays consistent throughout, but the arrangement builds to a climax with swirling horns.
Sisante lets his imagination loose on the final track, "We Fought You," which begins simply enough with keyboards and voice, then pauses for what sounds like deep breaths breezing past the microphone. When the melody returns, there are additional voices and jarring electronic swoops. The effect is both chilling and beautiful. "We Fought You" is not so much a song as a feeling expressed through sound.
There. Now Sisante will never speak to this newspaper again. - Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday
" (John-Flor)Sisante's new full-length disc, "The Music of Things", is a collection of 10 terrific tracks...throughout the disc, he puts his stamp on each song in surprising, delightful ways. Sweet ballads contain bitter centers; acoustic guitars are played with aggression; clever wordplay hides in the lyrics..."
-New York Newsday, June 11 2004 - New York Newsday
Discography
Means To An End (Summer/Fall 2011)
Photos
Bio
Named after a nebula 2,700 light years away, Foxfur, aka John-Flor Sisante, attempts to evoke in the listener an otherworldly sense of wonder through his music. Citing major musical influences ranging from The Postal Service to Sufjan Stevens to The Swell Season, Foxfur's music honors them but also goes in a different direction.
Foxfur melds honest lyrics with both acoustic and electronic arrangements seamlessly. Not one to mince musical ideas, every note, melody, lyric, and noise in his recordings serves a purpose, which is to help the listener connect with his music. When playing live, Foxfur uses the loop pedal in conjunction with his voice, acoustic guitar, and ukulele, to create unique, multi-layered works of musical art.
Foxfur has opened up for Norah Jones at The Living Room NYC, played at the Great South Bay Music Festival and the Huntington Summer Arts Festival in Long Island. This past Spring, Foxfur opened up for Mike Doughty on a few show dates, and has been working on a new LP, which he plans to release in the Summer/early Fall of 2011.
To hear more music, go to http://foxfur.bandcamp.com or http://foxfur.tumblr.com.
Links
