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October 22, 2009


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2009-10-22

Life is Nice, Nice, Very Nice

Vancouver singer/songwriter Dan Mangan is blowing up big thanks to his critically acclaimed sophomore album

Jen Zoratti

The last few months have been nothing short of monumental for Dan Mangan.

The Vancouver-based singer/songwriter released his sophomore album, Nice, Nice, Very Nice in August and, within a matter of weeks, the 26-year-old's name was appearing everywhere, from street weeklies and obscure music blogs to national print magazines.

The rabid, kid-on-Christmas-Eve excitement about the record wasn't limited to music scribes. Just after its release, Nice, Nice, Very Nice shot to No. 1 on the iTunes Canada singer/songwriter album chart, and Mangan sold out both of his hometown CD-release shows at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre - even before his Georgia Straight cover story hit the streets.

But perhaps the biggest confirmation of Mangan's current Indie It-Boy status was his win at XM's Verge Music Awards in September. He was named artist of the year and took home $25,000 in prize money.

"It was very exciting," says Mangan, over the phone from a rest stop in Quebec. "It was a big night. I had some friends there and it was very celebratory. It's such a life-changing amount of money and then there's the immediate amount of attention it's garnered.

"But I was expecting Joel Plaskett to win," he continues. "I think there was a congregational 'Huh?' that happened when my name was called."

The cash came in handy for his current Canadian tour, which wraps up in Edmonton on Oct. 30. "I'm sitting in a new touring van I purchased with the money so now we're riding in style," he says with a laugh.

There's no doubt Mangan deserves both the new ride and the attention being showered upon him. The hard-working troubadour toured his ass off in support of his debut, Postcards and Daydreaming, which was released independently in 2005 and re-released in 2007. That effort made a few ripples in indie music circles, but it wasn't the breakout album its follow-up would prove to be.

When Mangan released Nice, Nice, Very Nice, he didn't go in with great expectations - just high hopes.

"I suppose there's a difference between what you hope for and what you expect," he says. "I certainly hoped it would get a lot of attention, but I never expected this kind of response.

"I read a lot of blog and journals and weeklies, so to get feedback from publications you respect is very rewarding."

Mangan is quick to point out that positive feedback also raises people's expectations.

"I'm trying not to get too absorbed in the positive response," he says. "I don't want to get comfortable and rest on the success of this record. I've been very fortunate to get a lot of great reviews, but I try not to believe too much of what's written.

"It's kind of overwhelming," he continues. "You go for so long feeling like an underdog and that no one cares. And when things start to go your way, you almost feel guilty. Like, if I'm not struggling, does that mean I'm not good at this? So I try not to believe it too much."

Whether he chooses to believe it or not, Mangan has a very good record on his hands. Aptly titled in reference to a Kurt Vonnegut poem, Nice, Nice, Very Nice has a strong storyteller's sensibility to it. Though the songs are incredibly specific in their cultural reference points (more than a few songs make mention of Vancouver, Mangan's most obvious muse), they're completely universal in their subject matter (read: feeling awkward, lonely, homesick and in love; trying to fit in somewhere).

"Most of this record was written away from home," Mangan says. "I was on the phone with a journalist a few weeks ago who described it as a 'backhanded love letter to Vancouver,' and I think there's part of that in there. The city has changed a lot, so it's been an interesting experience dropping in on Vancouver every few months."

Musically, Nice, Nice, Very Nice is wonderfully eclectic. Rollicking roots rockers sound right at home between lush, indie-pop anthems and moody alt-folk ballads - but despite the differences, all songs are unified by their strength. From the gang vocals and horns on Robots to the soaring, cinematic swells of Fair Verona, this record has a powerful presence.

"The old record I first made (Postcards and Daydreaming) was fairly down - it was a true blue singer/songwriter album," Mangan says. "I think I unwittingly put a label on myself and put myself in a box. For this one, I wanted to push that box a bit.

"This record is a bit more lighthearted and sure of itself. I've experienced a lot more and grown in those four years. It has more confidence.

"That said," he adds with a laugh, "I'd change a million things about it."

Still, there are plenty of things Mangan is happy with. For one, he's in awe of the players who contributed to the album, folks such as Justin Rutledge, Veda Hille, Mark Berube, Hannah Georgas as well as members of Elliott Brood, Said The Whale, Mother Mother, The Hidden Cameras, Major Maker and Small Sins. He describes working with them as a "continually humbling experience."

He's also happy with how it sounds.

"We were able to make it not too polished but still a full-sounding record," he says. "I don't mean to be vain when I say that, but it captured mostly what I was trying to do. It's a sonic photograph of that time."

That time was an interesting one for Mangan. In the fall of 2008, he relocated to Toronto for six weeks to record the album with producer John Critchley (Elliott Brood, Leather Uppers).

"I was taking the train to and from the studio, which was an hour each way," he recalls. "That gave me a lot of time to listen to other music and just think. It was a very reflective, emotional time for me.

"I was also going through all the channels of doubt - dealing with those issues that come up when you're buried in a project. But when you think about how many people make records, you realize that it's not a singular experience. I think everyone goes through that period when they're questioning the project, or themselves."

And Mangan is looking forward to going through the whole tumultuous process again when it comes time to record a follow-up. He's already thinking ahead, and he's adamant that he's not going to simply ride the lightning of Nice, Nice, Very Nice.

"I'm in the heat of this record cycle and I'm all too aware that this exposure will subside," he says. "I'm trying not to get too used to it. The easiest thing to do would be to get comfortable. No matter what level you get to, I think it's important you remember where you're from.

"Luckily, I have a very opinionated mother and she's not shy about reminding me of all these things."

DAN MANGAN
Oct. 28, Lo Pub
w/ Katie Murphy

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