And yes, I did respond to him afterwards...
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DOES SISANTE HATE GOOD REVIEWS?

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, and basically disappears. He plays gigs around Long Island and collaborates with other musicians but this reporter can't get an email return. 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 mellowist 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 drum beats and a forlorn melody that recalls Death Cab For Cutie (or it's 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 rtakes 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 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.
Write to rafer.guzman@newsday.com