Dan Sartain - Arise, Dan Sartain, Arise (lim.ed. White Vinyl)
Review
'Arise, Dan Sartain, Arise' is the latest studio album by America's infamous rock 'n' roll troubadour Dan Sartain. Made up of thirteen wickedly wisecracking, vintage surf-rock bangers, this concise and classic record incorporates everything that's made Dan Sartain the genres favourite underdog over the last two decades. Seeped in obsidian black humour with tracks like 'Glasses Houses', 'Rooster In The Henhouse' and 'I Heard Laughing' ruthlessly calling out those who would slight him while also riding the hard line of self-awareness, the biting witticism of these tracks pair wonderfully with the playful tone of Sartain's slick-back dark doo-wop. Elsewhere on the likes of 'True Love' and 'Fires and Floods' the crooner gets a chance to flex his punk muscles, pushing the guitars further into distorted territory taking the late 50s garage-rock influence via the late 70s in much the same way The Ramones and The Damned did. But we're transported right back again when Sartain slows down for ballad standouts such as 'Kisses In The Morning' and 'Personal Injury Law'. Throughout 'Arise, Dan Sartain, Arise' searing surf guitars intertwine with beautifully haunted organ jabs, with rhythms pulled straight from saloon bars way out west, and cheeky wink-to-the-camera lyrical whimsy. Heavy praise for his LPs and live performances followed from critics and fellow performers alike, including Babyshambles' bassist Drew McConnell who namechecked Sartain in his 'Tracks Of The Year' in The Independent. Dan's appeal began to spread throughout Europe, with the Italian Vogue for men, L'UomoMagazine, not only featuring Dan in the magazine, selecting him as one of three artists to perform at their annual fashion show, broadcast on big screens throughout Milan's city centre. Since then Dan Sartain has warped his 50's twang inspired guitar tones and experimented with electronics, like on 'Dudesblood' and his last album in 2016, 'Century Plaza', which incorporated grinding synths and drum-machines recalling the likes of Suicide and Depeche Mode, which further solidified his maverick status. On 'Arise, Dan Sartain, Arise' we witness a master at work in a field he perfected, with everything but what is completely necessary cut away to craft an album that couldn't better represent one of the last true outsider artists of an immortal genre.