Send "Dan Mangan " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 Dan Mangan Trades in His West-Coast Soul for Toronto-Style QuirkI first heard of Dan Mangan through the once-popular, now social network wasteland, MySpace. The electric soul of Mangan’s best song, “Western Wind”, caught my attention right away and I very quickly scooped up a copy of his first record, Postcards and Daydreaming. I have the first-press version with the cover featuring a solitary eye staring back at you, as opposed to the updated “art house” version of a sketched man-with-hat staring pensively into the distance. The cover update was clearly a calculated move to gently guide Mangan’s fans into the direction he was now deciding to embark upon—the apathetic eclectic-sounding hipster who feigns baring his soul, when really every move is self-conscious and very affected. Mangan’s second record, Nice, Nice, Very Nice, was released on August of 2009 here in his native Canada, and I was eager to here what this inspiring songwriter was up to. Was he still the same one who had broken my heart with tunes like “Journal of a Narcoleptic”, “Western Wind”, and “Not What You Think It Is”? Needless to say, I was thoroughly underwhelmed, and quite annoyed at his attempt to be more “musically cool” by singing such nonsensical rubbish like “Robots need love too / They want to be loved by you”—oh, so cute, he’s singing about robots, and being so cute! It’s disgusting. It was hard to believe this was the same Mangan. (Side note: there actually is another Dan Mangan who has released a handful of instrumental dance tunes through Trojan Records, but I digress). The only saving grace for me (at the time) was “Road Regrets”, with its poignant phrases during the wonderfully composed stop/start refrain, “It’s a shame / It’s a crying shame / And ain’t it always the way / That takes you back to / From where it is you came”, slowing down only to retain speed into the groove, as if pausing for just a moment to give you the chance to glimpse the beauty of the tune. The song is great, and I exhausted my pleasure of it and quickly set the album aside, never to listen to it again. Until this review....full text |
| Danmanganmusic |
| Exclaim!: Dan Mangan’s debut record pegged him as a talented member of the sensitive singer-songwriter species. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but on his sophomore album, the Vancouver artist forgoes the angst in favour of a more upbeat approach. It’s a solid progression and gosh darn it, it’s a lot more fun. After the devastatingly perfect chorus of “Robots” knocks you flat on your ass, Mangan mocks you gently in “The Indie Queens are Waiting” and then makes you dance to the sound of your surrender in “Sold.” A few songs are reminiscent of the bittersweet melancholy of 2007’s Postcards and Daydreaming but more often, Mangan’s tone is playful as he dissects humanity’s quirks; his own most definitely included. With its occasionally dim view of the future, the album is foreboding, at times. But soaring horn- and string-heavy arrangements, as well as Mangan’s voice (at once fleecy warm and sandpaper rough), keep things congenial, even when the outlook is gloomy. With backup from some of Canada’s finest roots musicians — Veda Hille, Justin Rutledge and Mark Berube, to name a few — and a nod from NME as one of Canada’s most promising artists, Mangan’s career is clearly on the rise. Hop on board and enjoy the ride. The Province: After the incredibly strong Roboteering EP, some asked if this gravel-piped storyteller could better gems such as “Robots” or “The Indie Queens are Waiting.” Yes, and then some. Those songs and the upbeat “Sold” from the EP all grace this dozen gemmed disc. So do future fan faves such as the musing ballad “Pine For Cedars” or the gorgeously rendered shuffle “You Silly Git.” From his unusual and razor-sharp phrasing to the sage poetry in his everyday-life observations, he’s in the ranks of geniuses such as Greg Brown, Nick Drake or Badly Drawn Boy. Grade: A Sound Proof Magazine: (4.5/5 Stars) SOUNDS LIKE: Nice songwriting, nice arrangements, a very nice album. WHY/WHY NOT: Vancouver’s Dan Mangan makes it easy to review his latest release. Indeed, it is nice, very nice. Mangan is a little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n’ roll and completely impressive for stitching the two styles together so seamlessly. His voice sounds like that of an older, gruffer country musician, but his youthful and lively songwriting pulls at the shirtsleeves of his inner Woody Guthrie. With lyrics like “Robots need love too”, listeners wouldn’t expect the cheeky content to sail through waves of dynamic choral balladeering and colourful instrumentation, but Mangan doesn’t only pull it off, he makes it soar. This is one lovely effort, and certainly worth a listen. Metro (Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver): Vancouver’s Dan Mangan has quietly been building a name for himself since releasing his debut in 2007, but expect the chatter to increase in volume with this new release. If you like The Weakerthans or early Hawskley Workman, you’ll love this record. It’s all well crafted singer-songwriter stuff with impressive range. Mangan is able to move from the incredibly infectious sing-a-long Robots to the sensitive John K. Samson-ish The Indie Queens are Waiting with ease. If anything, he sounds a little too much like some of his influences but with such strong material, no one will car...full text |
| Herohill |
| It’s easy to forget that Vancouver native Dan Mangan has been touring most of the last four years on the strength of a single EP and LP. That’s because, no matter how much I enjoyed Postcards and Dreaming, it always seemed to be just the tip of the iceberg when it came to Dan’s potential. When you’d be lucky enough to see him live, he’d introduce a new tune or a new arrangement to an old classic, and undoubtedly those in attendance would leave discussing the next Mangan record and how the well traveled songwriter would finally have the catalog to convert the masses. When the Roboteering EP (review) came out earlier this year, Mangan offered the perfect amuse bouche to start us salivating. Packaging three of the records most catchy tunes - Robots (which might just be the song of the year), the insecurity that dominates The Indie Queens are Waiting (a ballad about trying to fit in) and the whimsical, ramshackle style of Sold - he got everyone excited about Nice, Nice, Very Nice. Throw in the fact the lead single, Road Regrets, is a road trip anthem that crescendos for the opening four minutes of the record and you can see why Dan had people talking. But Nice, Nice, Very Nice is more that catchy sing-alongs and ear pleasing guitar. Exposing a soul partially broken down by the relentless touring and the loneliness of the road, you are struck by the maturity and heart of the young singer. Fair Verona resists the urge to run, and lets Mangan play with bolder arrangements (horns, picked strings). The song about his girlfriend - You Silly Git - almost feels like an Ohbijou cover and shows a man happy for what he has instead of fixating on what could be. The heavy heart of Pine for Cedars is another heavy dose of melancholic beauty that reveals Dan’s soul to anyone willing to listen and lets us all know that another day away from all you love might not be the dream life we often assume musicians live....full text |
| Blogcritics |
| Howard Jones has been a part of the soundtrack in my head since the 1980s. With such an amazing career with tracks such as "Things Can Only Get Better," "What Is Love?", "No One Is to Blame," and "Everlasting Love," his synthesizer pop sound seemed to do no wrong as New Wave album after awesome album appeared on the pop charts. Even today, it's impossible for me to hear "No One Is to Blame" and not sing along in the car. Even in his mid-50s, Jones is still touring and playing music for his worldwide fans. His songs have appeared in several movies and video games over the last 30 years and there's just some endearing quality about his talent and personality that keeps him and his music in the limelight. 1984 seems forever ago, but "Like to Get to Know You Well" was a worldwide hit on The 12" Album. He followed it up with "No One Is to Blame" in 1985 on Dream into Action, the Action Replay EP in 1986, and my favorite album - Cross That Line in 1989 with "The Prisoner" and "Everlasting Love." Back then, MTV was actually a place to watch amazing music videos such as Jones' video for "Everlasting Love" featuring a pair of mummies seeking the perfect relationship. Now he's releasing a new album - Ordinary Heroes - which provides the same Howard Jones we know and love but with a bit older, wiser, and more introspective flair. He still loves to write about love ("Even if I Don't Say", "Love Never Wasted", and "Someone You Need"), but now he is mixing in songs about children growing up and going out on their own ("Soon You'll go"), the unrecognized heroes all around us ("Ordinary Heroes"), and the lives of ordinary people ("Straight Ahead"). All ten tracks on the album are wonderful, providing glimpses of an aging Jones who seemingly hasn't lost a single step since I heard him in high school....full text |
| Cloudspeaker |
| Howard Jones brought freshness to the jaded music of the 80’s when it was floundering in a sterile wilderness of its own making. His 1983 debut single “New Song” was the inventive synth/pop/new wav...full text |
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