Sakes Alive!! – Act 1

In today’s overcrowded music scene, bands must do something unique to grab people’s attention – be it labels, promoters, publicists or fans. With so many acts out there to chose from and instant access to each and everyone of them thanks to MySpace, bands need to find a way to stand out in the crowd. New York’s Sakes Alive!! have done that in two ways. First in their sheer professionalism while maintaining a fiery punk rock persona. Everything they seem to do is done quickly, efficiently and professionally; and the outcome makes even their demo look better than some major label promotions. Right away, that’s a thumbs up – particularly because they’re able to do all that while keeping a care free punk rock attitude at the same time. A weird dichotomy but it works.

Then there is the music, which is the real thing that makes Sakes Alive!! stand out in the crowd. Act 1, the band’s first release other than a three song demo, fades into the speakers with a sense of no nonsense passion. The sound is crisp and raw and sounds better than half the shit found on MySpace despite being recorded for 150$ in their practice studio. The music is a mixture of Hot Water Music with Jade Treeera Strike Anywhere. Vocalist Chris Vandeviver bellows out angst filled lyrics with a set of pipes that are worn and harsh. He sounds like there’s a frog in his throat but rips through it without a second thought. Like Dillinger Four? Then you’ll like Act 1.

Tackling subjects of faith, work and armageddon, Sakes Alive!! shy away from the casual love song but instead scream lyrics of anger and rebellion. Attacking the monotony of the business world (Cause those folks inside/ Wearing suits and ties/ Think that this world is theirs to shape/ But our Mistress sleeps alone/ Dozing peacefully/ We exist only in her dreams) and how that will all eventually lead to the world’s downfall, Act1 paints a picture of the end of the world and does it without regret. It’s a punk rock sound that re-ignites the glory days of yore with enough hardcore hooks to get the listener pounding their fist in the air along with the beat.

The three song 7inch only really has one major fault and that is that it is only a 7inch. At just over six minutes long, you’re left wanting more. Luckily for us, Act 1 – as indicated by the title – is the first of three seven inches to be released this year. So hold your horses and this punk rock trilogy will soon be complete and upon that completion Sakes Alive!! will be a well known name in the punk rock underground.