aaamusic | On 18, Mar 2012

Joining the immense list of folk-rock hopefuls is Dan Mangan, with his latest single ‘Rows Of Houses’. Despite some slight wobbles in the drums early on, it’s a fairly solid tune, working on the dual foundations on wistful folk and some darker blues, with the melancholy melody being played out on distorted guitars and a ghostly drumkit, with Mangan’s hoarse, downcast yet heartfelt vocal delivery that blends with the blues moments to create the impression of a Mike Ness who goes and gazes around quiet meadows every weekend with his acoustic guitar. However, the grit and the ethereal moments in the song don’t quite gel, and neither do the louder and quieter moments, with the hushed bridge not so much quieting the mood as slamming the breaks on before a slightly out-of-place rock guitar solo. The first two verses are a great example of how to write a strong yet gentle song, but the song seems to lose track of itself somewhere in the middle, and while it manages to recover in a convincing manner, it can’t quite live up to its initial promise.

With an artist such as Dan Mangan, who appears to rely upon a slow-burning, sustained effect to push home the true power of his music, a single will always feel like a nonsequitur, and although I’m sure in an album context this makes for a moving and incredibly effective song, but in isolation it just can’t quite build the rapport with the listener it needs to bloom.

 

Katie H-Halinski