aaamusic | On 04, Dec 2011

Dan Mangan describes his music as alt-folk, however “Oh Fortune” is a far cry from the typical acoustic format that so many artists in this genre stick to. This is the third album by the Canadian singer-songwriter who despite being relatively unknown in the UK, has played Glastonbury, was awarded “Artist of the Year” from the Verge Music Awards and has toured with numerous bands including The Decemberists, The Walkmen and Broken Social Scene.
The opening track “About being as helpful as you can be without being helpful at all” is as complex as the title suggests. The opening of this song sounds like the intro to a blockbuster movie but Mangan makes sure not to get lost in the music. The lyrics of this song, although vague, are intruiging enough to hold the attention of the listener:
“Both feet together slowly progressing always in time/ Don’t count the feathers just count the wings every day counting/Everything’s changing, I almost forgot it, then I remember…”
Mangan uses a broad range of instruments on this album including strings, brass and electronic sounds giving “Oh Fortune” an epic weighty feel. This is especially heard on “Leaves, Trees and Forest” a powerful song with constant shifts in vocal range and tempo adding to the element of the unexpected which is so present throughout this record.
“Post War Blues” is one of the most commercial tracks on this album, and not surprisingly has been chosen as the lead single. It is an urgent sounding upbeat song that is lead by the bass line in the verse until reaching the dancey chorus which is guitar dominated but has Mangan’s commanding vocals layered on top.
Overall this is a strong and ambitious project by Dan Mangan that really see’s him at his best. This album is sure to bring him greater success in the UK market and perhaps a few festival performances in 2012.

Author:Orna Lyons