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Influenced by his parents’ record collection featuring the likes of Nick Drake and The Beatles, Mangan found early outlets for his music playing in his house with his two siblings. At the age of 16 the singer formed the band Basement Suite with school friends, where he developed his talents by playing gigs around the local area. Whilst studying at the University of British Columbia in 2003, Mangan recorded his first set of recordings “All at Once”, which he handed out in the Vancouver area and subsequently recorded the LP “Postcards & Daydreaming” in 2005, which later earned a rerelease by independent label File Under: Music. The album was also issued in the U.S. leading Mangan’s fan base to swell and expand his touring schedule.
The singer’s sophomore alum “Nice, Nice, Very Nice” named after a line from American novelist Kurt Vonnegut's novel "Cat's Cradle", featured a whole host of respected Canadian artists including Justin Rutledge, Hannah Georgas and members of Major Maker and Said The Whale. The album spawned the singles “Robots” and “Road Regrets” and marked his first positive impression upon Canada with a notable amount of radio airplay in Vancouver. In 2009 Mangan was awarded the prestigious Artist of the Year award at the Verge Music Awards and saw “Nice, Nice, Very Nice” rereleased on the revered independent label Arts & Crafts. Mangan subsequently was nominated for the 2010 Polaris Prize and earned three Western Canadian Music Awards. After supporting the album with his touring band, the musician began experimenting with other Canadian musicians, taking his style in completely new directions and avenues, including avant-garde jazz and the introduction of orchestral arrangements.
The resulting album was 2011’s “Oh Fortune” once again released on Arts & Crafts. The album, like its predecessor earned considerable critical acclaim, only this time moving away from the singer/songwriter approach to something more experimental. Following the release Mangan was awarded the New Artist of the Year and Alternative Album of the Year at the 2012 Juno Awards, and was once again shortlisted for the year’s Polaris Music Prize. The album “Club Meds” was released in early 2015 under the new moniker Dan Mangan + Blacksmith.
The old term ‘troubadour’ is one that’s begun to lose all meaning in recent years, being thrown around to describe all kinds of insincere posers who, often, don’t even write their own songs, but it’s a word that, by its original definition, perfectly encapsulates everything good about Dan Mangan. For the past few years now, he’s been steadily building a fanbase across the globe - not just in his native Canada - with his gentle, witty brand of folk rock, with his record Nice, Nice, Very Nice nominated for the Polaris Prize in his homeland in 2009 - as, indeed, was the follow-up, Oh Fortune, at the Juno Awards in 2012, where it won best alternative album. Mangan has toured extensively in the UK, too, with his introduction to British audiences coming as the opening act for Canadian indie legends Broken Social Scene back in 2010, on what would prove their final outing. Even in front of unfamiliar crowds, he wasn’t afraid of pulling out his party piece - strolling through the crowd as he performed his superb ‘Robots’ and encouraging the audience to sing along the infectious refrain with him - and the sizes of the rooms he’s been playing to on his own jaunts since has been steadily increasing; check Mangan out now before he makes a real mainstream breakthrough.
Joeg_67
Jenn Grant makes wonderful music to drink tea to. Like good tea, her resplendent voice can be enjoyed at any time of day. My only criticism of her latest offering, Orchestra for the Moon, is therefore that it is 23 hours, 13 minutes and 58 seconds too short.
The chirpy ‘Morning Break’ is perfect for settling into a piping hot cup of PG Tips with the Sunday Sport and double egg and chips. ‘Unique in New York’ provides a leisurely and upbeat mid-afternoon soundtrack for a rich Rooibos to complement your cucumber on white bread and butter sandwiches. For the maximum benefit of an after dinner pot of Earl Grey, or a nightcap of camomile and salted caramel or ginger and lemongrass, try some of the more subdued numbers of the album; ‘Make it Home Tonight’, ‘In a Brown House’ and ‘Sound of Success’, to wit. A rare Canadian contribution to tea-drinking culture, Jenn Grant casts a magnificent stage-presence. Jamming on her classic red Ibanez, her energy was so infectious I almost spilled my hibiscus and rosehip before finishing it.
tom-lee-7
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