Released 31st May, One Little Indian Records


Dan Sartain Lives doesn’t disguise what it is, and fans of old Sun Studio Recordings, 50’s country, garage rock and Johnny Cash will gobble up this moustachioed imp from Birmingham (Alabama).

Dan himself is a funny old character; when he played a tiny gig in the bar at The Lexington a couple of months back he ended up on the tables singing Chuck Berry staple ‘My Ding-A-Ling’, making the audience harmony with him on ‘ding-a-ling.’  Throughout the gig he demonstrated that their lurks a cheeky, warped sense of humour totally in keeping with his Steve Buscemi-with-cheekbones looks, and he was thoroughly entertaining throughout, comfortable on stage with a wealth of tunes in the locker.

His new album powers through at a no-nonsense pace- 13 songs coming in at just over 30 minutes, and the majority memorable.    Pleasure seeking lies at the heart of much of it; on ‘Doin Anything I Say’ he proclaims: ‘ran around my whole life/doin’ anything I want/ doin’ anything that makes me feel good/doing anythin’ I say.’   Behind it is a pounding drumbeat and filthy guitar riff that would have Kasabian taking notes.   ‘Bohemian Grove’, that follows,  is vintage garage rock- a haze of scuzz as Dan takes a pop at the ‘elite who live like primitives.’

‘Bad Things Will Happen’ hints at the dark side that lies not-so-hidden, and plays like the musical equivalent of a voodoo doll, with it’s White Blood Cells era White Stripes lick inbetween such cheery couplets as ‘bad things will happen anytime that they want/bad things will happen anywhere that you are.’  It’s great, brilliantly tongue-in-cheek.  Conveniently, for the sake of the flow of this review, this is  followed by ‘Voo Doo’ which brings back the axe and Dan shouting ‘I know what you do when you’re sad and lonely/I know what you do when you’re a lover only/ Voodoo/You do Voodoo.’   His reverb-y voice sounds not unlike Iggy Pop, and the dark undertones lashed with slasher riffs enhance the comparison.

‘I Don’t Wanna Go To The Party’ winds things right back to the 50’s, with a galloping drumroll nicked straight from your Dad’s favourite 50’s Western serial.  His voice also drops and Johnny Cash is a clearer touchpoint. 

Although clearly drawing on a wealth on influences (who doesn’t?) it should be noted that Dan himself is a genuine original.  His pencil thin suits, slicked hair, classic musical styles; it’s all updated for the 21st century and soaked in a bath of yelps and reverb.  It would probably won’t sell millions of records, but for cheek and ill-begotten fun this is one of the albums of the year so far and I, for one, am glad that Dan Sartain Lives.




7.5/10

Posted In Album Reviews, May 28 2010. Words - David