Half Man Half Biscuit's Nigel Blackwell once famously wrote that “there's no room for enigmas in built up areas.” It's a truism that appears to have hit the spot in reverse where idiosyncratic Canadian singer/ songwriter Andrew Sisk is concerned. Since leaving the rural terrain of his youth, he's settled in Halifax, Nova Scotia and made a point of being as bloody enigmatic as possible in that city's built-up areas.
Adopting the moniker SHARE, Sisk has already made two albums, 'Ukelele Tragic' (2005) and 2006's 'Can Can Missile'. This writer's not heard either, although the Fall-esque title of the latter is immediately intriguing. No matter, though, for Sisk's third album 'Pedestrian' offers a handy point of entry for the uninitiated and a window on his likeably skewhiff world-view.
SHARE have quietly morphed into a relatively regular trio/ quartet since 'Can Can Missile'. On record, Sisk is joined by guitarist Nick Cobham, upright bassist Kyle Cunjak and producer A.A Wallace on drums, though the live percussion duties are often carried out by Zach Atkinson these days.
Even allowing for the group's presence, though, there's a brittle, skeletal quality to Sisk's songs which is both attractive and individualistic. 'Pedestrian' pans for indie, folk and pop without ever starting a gold rush in any of them, but still coming away coveting some bright little nuggets. Opener 'The Great Before' gives you some idea of how hard it is to conveniently pigeon-hole the band. The opening a capella bit sounds like The Swingle Singers undergoing a revival, before scrawny guitar and Cunjak's bow-driven bass slide in. The harmonies are parched and aching and with guitars floating in and out of focus and no real percussive backbone, the effect is dublike and disorienting.
Intriguing start and it's not let down by most of what follows either. Often, the musical backdrops are abstract and sparse, but never less than engaging either. 'Silhouette' pivots around a bitten-off shuffle akin to the Young Marble Giants but with Augustus Pablo standing by on melodica and 'Murderer' combines low-key loops, stoned vocals and nocturnal dub bass. Sisk sings like Will Oldham, but with a better supply of drugs and a less fatalistic streak, adding a disembodied and numb feel to songs like 'Overtake', the broken-down, sub-club classic 'Dance Dance Retribution' and the surprisingly perky pop-skank of 'Too Shy To Blush'.
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They save the best for last. On 'The Yard', Wallace's spinning drum sensurround duels with a tasty organ part and guest Catherine MacClellan provides a memorable female 'answering' voice to Sisk. Closing track 'The Dipper' is about as child-like as they get: sleepy, soporific beat poetry with the most minute droplets of guitar and Cunjak's bass. It's the kind of lo-fi warmth that dribbles gently from Adem or UK States' records and it's a lovely, gentle caress to part company on.
'Pedestrian' is an unassuming little triumph. It's charming, eclectic and occasionally arcane, although it nearly always keeps its' eyes firmly on the melodic prize too. It may be less celebrated than either Quebec or British Columbia, but it seems that Canada's East Coast has been furtively hoarding a wealth of talent all along. Like Grand Theft Bus, Share can positively attest to that fact.
(http://www.myspace.com/andrewsisk)
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