Dan Sartain hails from the southern burg of Birmingham, Alabama. He apparently is completely unrepentant about his decidedly un-indie musical style. He channels Nick Cave and courts a sound reminiscent of Elvis Costello. Sartain seems almost a shoe in for a cult following. I believe that he will be a huge hit live and have the chance to see for myself come December 15th. Sartain is full of energy and his music is energetic and dark. It is equal parts 1950’s and 2000’s allowing full on posturing without sounding shallow. A big part of the depth of the sound is the epic guitar in the tradition of Dick Dale with the bounding and serious parts of the surf rock genre. Sartain works all the right angles and does so without coming off as cheesy or trite, not something easily done in the era of snap condemnation.

For your aural and visual pleasure I bring you Sartain’s two step swing from south of the border. The video gives a great slice of the man and the song’s incongruous mariachi becomes quite congruous. The album’s cover art is also worthy of praise giving Sartain the stark iconic swath he so richly deserves. I hope you all enjoy.