So, the guy’s been around since 2002 as a solo act and in four (no typo) different bands and I hadn’t heard of him until, well, last week. As you may have guessed, I’ve been shaking my head in disgust – I mean, I could have been listening to a boatload more of great music and I just kinda blew it on this one. We all have chinks in our armor though, and once I realized that, I soaked up his music and finally began to smile.
Sartain, from Utah, is well-versed in the indie pop scene; he just (literally – in December) finished a two week European tour and he has opened for a variety of different, major acts, including Frank Black, Mates of State, Ben Kweller, and Stephen Malkmus. Not a terrible resume; I guess he could have added Radiohead or something to that bill.
With a voice that sounds eerily similar to David Bazan (Pedro The Lion), holding slightly more of a falsetto ting, Sartain brings a necessary frailty to his melancholic songs. He wears his heart on his sleeve without a hint of lost pride, making his matching quirky music all the better for it. He released a solo album this year called For Love; check out a few of my favorite tracks below, or download the entire album for free here.
Will Sartain – “For Love” [MP3]
Will Sartain – “Death And Prague” [MP3]
Just wanted to say, I’m really happy to see someone spotlight Will Sartain. Lovely review, and I’m happy to finally see that someone rather talented from my hometown (of Salt Lake City) is finally getting some attention. 🙂