Dan Sartain Vs The Serpientes
Dan Sartain Vs The Serpientes

Reptiles, and snakes in particular, have always stirred in humans a dual feeling of repulsion/attraction. In some cultures, they represent the quintessence of evil (Garden of Eden docet), while in others, on the contrary, the demiurge creator (think of the figure of Quetzalcoatl in Aztec culture). In both cases, the snake is not an animal that goes unnoticed, be it for its peculiar movements or its potential danger.

Specifically, this twenty-three-year-old from Alabama (known in the world as Dan Sartain) seems to have a true fixation with them. Just look at the tracklist of his album (the trilogy of "Walk Among The Cobras" says it all). If it were just for this, we wouldn't be here writing about it. Fortunately, besides a passion for snakes, our friend possesses a multifaceted compositional ability and potentially enormous talent. I may be wrong, but it's rare for me to be completely captivated by songs that are fundamentally simple and moreover easily traceable to their sources of inspiration, yet find them still fresh, catchy but at the same time emotionally touching.

An album that smells of dust and snake boots, whiskey and redemption, teenage angst, and hangers-on. Songs like the poignant ballad "Place To Call My Home" delve deeply into the great classics of American music, calling up the weighty specter of "the man in black" Johnny Cash, without paling too much in comparison. Others draw on more modern icons (Jon Spencer in "P.C.B. 98", Calexico in "I Could Have Had You", New York Dolls in "Tryin To Say"), maintaining a fascinating and never trivial lo-fi approach. Not to be overlooked is the fact that Dan writes and plays all the material contained here, with absolute musical passion and honesty, like a true breed outsider.

Oh, I almost forgot, the only possible antidote for the poison distilled by Dan is the repeat button on your player.