By the sounds of “Deserter”, the first single from Siskiyou’s forthcoming Nervous, the Vancouver band are in their ’65 Dylan phase, outgrowing their folk-lined shell. Since the release of Siskiyou’s last record, the pine-varnished Keep Away the Dead, lead whisperer Colin Huebert developed an inner ear infection (ouch!) that left him anxious and insular, serving as the catalyst in their sonic graduation.
“Deserter”, circle pegs the band into the contemporary Canadian indie rock watering hole. Where Colin Huebert once treated his microphone as though the diaphragm could break at levels any higher than -23 dB, the lead singer finally sings, resounding with full presence and yelping with pain and a Spencer Krug-ian sense of melodrama. The production, too, has pulled the curtain back to uncloak the full landscape of “The Great White North”, adapting to the darkened harsh climates with the warmth of an Arcade Fire and the glow of a Neon Bible; the band even hired touring member Colin Stetson for a saxophone solo that billows from his baritone bell like a patch of fog.
Coming from Constellation, there is no telling where this rolling freight train might be headed, the first and last minute of the single suggest possibly anywhere, though after trading their folk guitars for electric every Brooklyn band probably wishes they were Siskiyou right now.
Nervous comes out January 20 via Constellation. Until then, stream the single below.
