At the tender age of seven, Dan Mangan’s first goal was to memorise and recite Abbey Road’s side ‘B’. At 17, it was to record his first EP. Now at 24, it’s to meander into the stereo and hometown of music lovers worldwide.
With the recent release of his debut full-length album, Postcards and Daydreaming, five completed tours of the US, UK and Australia, festival performances at SXSW, MusExpo, The Great Escape, NXNE and a feature in the Brit-tastemaker magazine, NME – one could definitely say he’s off to a good start!
“This folk singer may only be 23, but he sings with the soul of Woody Guthrie – if Woody Guthrie had listened to Godspeed (You Black Emperor)” – NME 2007
Tying together the roots of acoustic folk and subtle symphonic pop, Postcards & Daydreaming is unabashedly mellow. However, it’s Mangan’s powerful, weather-beaten vocals that hint at something epic lurking in the undertones. Influenced both by songsmiths of old (Nick Drake, Woody Guthrie) and sonic innovators of late (Neutral Milk Hotel, Sigur Ros). Mangan’s “old soul” rings clear through his lyrical ruminations on both the harmful capabilities and intrinsic beauty of human foibles. Think Kurt Vonnegut with a gravelly sweet singing voice.
“As an artist, I feel that when you are writing, no matter the medium or style, you should always be saying something,” said Mangan, from his home in Vancouver, BC. “It doesn’t have to be as significant as changing the world, but it should be important to you.”
Mangan has a great appreciation for power of words and a deep admiration for writers of all kinds. Not one to stay safely inside the singer/songwriter box, he has collaborated with spoken word artist Shane Koyczan, performed alongside acclaimed storyteller Ivan Coyote and Canadian hype machines Patrick Watson, The Acorn and DJ Champion. Dan has also been featured on the Bravo! television network and has been a regular go-to artist for XM Satellite Radio’s “The Verge” – where his seven-minute fan-fave “So Much For Everyone” became the channel’s fourth most requested song in July alongside The Dears and The Meligrove Band.
The first single ‘Journal of a Narcoleptic’ is at Radio and TV now. Postcards and Daydreaming will be out in Australia March 22, through ABC Music
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