Dan Mangan - “Fool for Waiting”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 8

Pairs Well With…Midlake, Frank Turner, Glen Hansard

Not only will SXSW feature Dan Mangan’s sweetly emotional 2018 record More or Less, a strongly written collection of lonely ballads and alt-country rock tracks notable for interesting rhythmic and production elements embellished with electronic textures, the Canadian singer-songwriter is also taking 2020 to tour the ten-year anniversary of folksier full-length Nice, Nice, Very Nice. It’s an opportunity to rediscover Magnan’s tenderest sides alongside intermittent ramble breaks, an Americana artist at his core that has stretched creatively across his long career. (Kevin McStravick)

2015 Review: Dan Mangan’s latest is 2015’s Club Meds, a record properly credited as a band effort alongside Blacksmith.  Dark folk and alternative rock embody the tone of Club Meds, an electric record that plays completely in minor keys.  Magnan’s distinct voice has never sounded better, a gritty soul to accompany the music like a shanty leader on a starry night.

2012 Review: Dan Mangan is a reasonably known artist from Vancouver who’s been in constant tour mode throughout the last eight years.  His sound has matured over the years, culminating in his best release, Oh Fortune, which just came out three months ago (free to stream at Mangan’s website).  His delivery reminds me of Glen Hansard minus the Irish accent.  There’s an emotional grit that resides throughout his material that can really draw you in.  Mangan’s music is weighty, borderline epic at times, but there’s still that folk songwriting root that keeps it grounded and level with your eyes.