For Folk's Sake » Dan Mangan

Album | Dan Mangan – Oh Fortune

For Folk's Sake — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:44:07 +0000

“Please be merry, when I am buried/In the ground”. Despite recently playing for Kate n’ Wills in his native Canada, FFS favourite Dan Mangan seems a bit glum right now. Moving on from the flimsier topics (robot love and that) expressed in 2009’s Polaris-nominated Nice, Nice, Very Nice, Dan’s taking the opportunity to question bigger things: humanity, war, death. Not quite so nice anymore then.

The difference between the last album and this is immediately apparent on opening track ‘About As Helpful As You Can Be Without Being Any Help At All’. Gone is the acoustic guitar strum, replaced by a discordant orchestral crescendo which segues into a Viennese waltz. Mangan has moved away from the alt-folk label, working with free-jazz experimentalists to create a more complex, anthemic sound. It can take a few listens to get used to, given the catchy directness of his earlier work, and it’s not an album that can be dipped in and out of easily.

Lyrically, Mangan is as observational as ever, but more oblique. Despite reprimanding himself early in the album for trying to make sense of the world “I should know better by now/There’s only so much to go around” on ‘How Darwinian’, we still get the war lament ‘Post-War Blues’ and the Radiohead-esque ‘Rows of Houses’. There’s no solution here either – closing track ‘Jeopardy’ consists entirely of questions. If you’re feeling a tad melancholic about the state of society right now, rest assured Dan’s right there alongside you.

Considering the bleak sincerity of the lyrical content, Oh Fortune is incongruently jubilant. Mangan’s distinctive husky voice sounds surprisingly untroubled, at times soaring above a glorious, joyful brass section. Despite experimentation with time signatures and instrumentation everything flows smoothly, from the stomping title track through Jonny Greenwood-style guitar twiddling on ‘Leaves, Trees, Forest’, to end on distinctly chirpy two-minute swing jazz trumpet solo.

Definitely not a continuation of Nice, Nice, Very Nice, Mangan has created a warm, rich, epic but slightly disconcerting statement of intent. He’s all grown-up, and he’s not afraid to show it. Excellent stuff.

Words: Nat Roberts

News | Portraits of Emmy the Great, Iron & Wine, Dan Mangan go on show

Lynn Roberts — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 12:39:57 +0000

Dan Mangan

Portraits of Emmy the Great, Dan Mangan, Iron & Wine and Anna Calvi feature in London-based figurative painter Joe Simpson’s exhibition ‘Musician Portraits’ opening next month.

The paintings will be on display from 14th – 30th October at a temporary gallery in the converted library at 16/17 Greek Street, Soho, London W1D 4DR. Entrance is free.

Joe has spent the past year flying all over the world to meet the musicians at their houses, studios and backstage at gigs.

He said: “The paintings have a physicality to them that you don’t get with a photograph. The paint has a specific weight and application and you can see layers and brushmarks in the hair and skin tones of the subjects. I’m really excited to see all the paintings displayed together under one roof for the very first time.

The portraits will be sold after the exhibition, with 25% of the proceeds going to the charity Seeing is Believing.

>> More about the exhibition at Joe Simpson’s website
>> Joe’s twitter

Emmy the Great

Sam Beam (Iron & Wine)

Lisa Hannigan

Anna Calvi

Matt Berninger (The National)

End of the Road line-up: Marling, Mogwai, Midlake, Mangan

Lynn Roberts — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:38:29 +0000

End of the Road, FFS’s favourite festival, has added another slew of bands to its aleady brilliant line-up.

Mogwai will be joining headliners Midlake, Beirut and Laura Marling.

Also confirmed are The Leisure Society, Dry The River, Joan as a Policewoman, James Yorkson, Micah P Hinson, John Grant, Jolie Holland, Timber Timbre and Willy Mason.

Other FFS-recommended artists on the line-up include Nashville wonder Caitlin Rose, Canadian folk-popper purveyor Dan Mangan, retro lovelies The Secret Sisters and brilliant lunatic tUnE-yArDs.

We’re willing to bet it’ll be the best bunch of artists at any festival this year. Tickets are on sale now for £145.

To buy them and for more information visit www.endoftheroadfestival.com.

Blog: For Folk’s Sake Radio – if you don’t like lovely, you won’t like this

Lynn Roberts — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:20:53 +0000

On Sunday I popped down to London Fields Radio to record the first ever FFS radio show in a cafe against a background of the clatter of crockery and the hum of Hackney-ites chatting.

There’ll be a monthly-or-thereabouts show from now on, with the next one being probably the most Christmassy radio show of all time.

That chap you can hear is my friend Mark Higgins, who as well as being a nice man, knows how to produce a radio show. He has his own show called Bitter Fingers, also on London Fields Radio.

I think I probably said about 25 different things were lovely over the course of the hour, so if that will annoy you, certainly don’t listen to the show here…

For Folk’s Sake, Vol. 1 by Londonfieldsradio on Mixcloud

What we played…

Pirates’ Gospel by Alela Diane

BIT OF BRIAN: Brian’s Playlist #26 – Down in One

I Drink by Charles Aznavour
This isn’t on Brian’s playlist, because it’s not on Spotify (has anyone else gone off Spotify a bit recently?) but in the words of Bob Dylan it is “a devastating drinking song by the Frank Sinatra of France”. The lyrics are brilliantly cutting.
We Were Wasted by the Leisure Society
If you didn’t listen to the words of this pretty song, you’d never guess it was about getting home drunk after a night out. According to frontman Nick Hemming, The Leisure Society are in the final stages of recording their second album. I cannot WAIT to hear it.

Feet of Courage by Nancy Elizabeth

Robots by Dan Mangan
FFS-er Stephen Thomas interviewed Dan Mangan after his Union Chapel gig back in October. Read it here.

ALBUM OF THE SHOW: Sea of Bees – Songs for the Ravens

Sidepain by Sea of Bees
Sea of Bees is the marvellous Jules Baenziger from Sacramento, California. She records with producer and very nice man John Baccigaluppi. There’s an interview Anika Mottershaw and I did with the pair of them coming soon on FFS. Jules will be back in the UK in January. Check out dates on her MySpace.

Tiger Mountain Peasant Song by First Aid Kit

INFLUENCES: Neutral Milk Hotel and Laura Marling

In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel
Made By Maid by Laura Marling
Laura Marling’s old MySpace cited NMH as one of her influences. I see that as a good excuse to play both Laura Marling AND Neutral Milk hotel and call it a feature.

O Little Town of Bethlehem by Emily & the Woods
Here we have a little sneak preview of our forthcoming charity Christmas album For Folk’s Sake It’s Christmas. Emily & the Woods recorded a gorgeous version of this carol for the album – and if those harmonies don’t make you swoon you are surely dead inside. Read our recent interview with Emily here.

Dance Music by the Mountain Goats

Interview: Dan Mangan

Stephen W Thomas — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:03:40 +0000

For Folk's Sake » Dan Mangan

Album | Dan Mangan – Oh Fortune

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