AMG Review of Dan Sartain vs. The Serpientes

Stewart Mason
All Music Guide

Straight-up, punky garage rock in the style of the Real Kids, the Lyres, or the Original Sins, Dan Sartain Vs. the Serpientes puts Alabama-based singer/songwriter Sartain right in the thick of the post-White Stripes garage revival, but with a difference. Unlike the Stripes, the Hives, or most of the other bands lumped into this scene (Sartain's fellow southerners the 45's are a notable exception), Sartain sounds like he has intravenously fed upon the entirety of the #Nuggets, #Pebbles, and #Back from the Crypt series of '60s garage rock obscurities. However, he's not trying for note-perfect replications of the style, a lá the Chesterfield Kings back in the '80s, but merely uses it as a jumping-off point for a more personal blend that adds a touch of rockabilly flash (especially on "Walk Among the Cobras, Part 1," the first of a three-part mini-suite of related songs), and an unexpected soul fixation. (Not to mention, on "Cobras, Part 3," a minimalist setting of a reggae-style rhythm guitar line, vocals, and not much else). As a result, Dan Sartain vs. The Serpientes is more entertaining and artistically viable than much of what passes for garage rock.