For this installment of the Record (Re)Collection-Fest 7 Edition, Chris Vandeviver of Sakes Alive!! writes about Crime In Stereo‘s 2006 full-length The Troubled Stateside. We highly recommend that you check out SA!!’s brand new 7-inch Act I and that you go see them at The Fest 7. They will definitely be one of the highlights. Read on. 

Crime In Stereo - The Troubled Stateside
By Chris Vandeviver

I know it seems like an older record would make sense for a Record Re-Collection. And honestly, D4′s Midwestern Songs and Circle Takes the Square’s As the Roots Undo immediately jumped at me. However, these monumental albums are obvious tomes. Crime In Stereo’s Nitro effort, though, doesn’t strike me as obvious as the aforementioned. My life, however, was brought back full circle due to this brilliant album.

Imagine the image of this modern (young) man: forty hours a week at shitty, near minimum wage hell; walking half an hour each morning at 5:30 a.m. to work, and 2:30 p.m. home to being tired as hell; no direction, and musical efforts imploding to ego-maniacal twenty year olds; your roommate fucks up and sends your rent money to his school loan collector, and by the time you find out you are being served an eviction notice, thus forcing you to return to the parents that you try so hard to avoid. Did I mention life sucked? Cause it did.

Read more after the jump.

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Sakes Alive are giving you a chance to pick up their debut 7-inch Act I a bit early. You can pick it up here. The record will be released on August 27th via Barrett Records. Check out the tracklisting and pressing info after the jump.

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Who: Sakes Alive!!

What do they sound like?: A mix of Strike Anywhere, Polar Bear Club, and From Ashes Rise, sans the crustiness.

Why YOU should listen!: I’d must say, for only having a three-song demo, Rochester, NY’s Sakes Alive!! are miles ahead of many bands at their level. Right off the bat, I was incredibly impressed when I popped in their demo last week. The songs are undeniably urgent, passion-filled and grab you from the first chord. All you NYC kids should stop by to see the band play at Lost and Found Bar in Greenpoint on Feb. 29th.

You can check out Sakes Alive!! on our Late Night Mix player to the right. Also, check out an awesome interview our friends at Mutiny Zine did with SA!! leader Chris here.