Dan Sartain Vs. The Serpientes

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 la 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. ~ Stewart Mason