BlackPlastic has sat on this one too long... When someone gives you an album and describes it as the post-punk Johnny Cash (a quote from NME) you pretty much expect to be disappointed, so it is in trepidation that BlackPlastic approached Dan Sartain's new long-player, Join Dan Sartain.
With producer Liam Watson (The White Stripes and The Kills) on board Join Dan Sartain oozes attitude from the moment opening track 'Drama Queens' tumbles out of the speakers like a drunken lover falling out of a bar into the Alabama sunshine. 'Gun vs. Knife' offers more of the same, , razor sharp raw guitars flying alongside furious drumming and Dan's vocals - "Well he's got a vendetta and he thinks he's right, you can bring your gun and I'll bring my knife".
Elsewhere, on 'Flight of the Finch' and 'Replacement Man' true rockabilly and Americana shine through.
Throughout it's short 37 minutes Join Dan Sartain never does quite what you would expect and the result is fantastic. One minute Sartain is coming on like the American Willy Mason on 'The World Is Gonna Break Your Little Heart', a bluesy anthem that reveals the facts of life and would probably be enjoyed by your parents, the next he's throwing a torrent of abuse at 180mph to the 'Hangers On'.
The creativity, passion and production on display here is never short of excellent. Sounding like a cross between White Blood Cells-era White Stripes, Johnny Cash and a collection of the best post-punk bands (old and new) is bound to be a thrilling mix... Join Dan Sartain isn't good, it's fantastic. Quite possibly the freshest record BlackPlastic has heard this year and one that most definitely deserves NME's dangerously promising description. As the beautiful instrumental album closer 'Love Is Black' draws to a close you will know you've just witnessed something special.