Dan Mangan and the rolling existential comfort of 'All Roads'

 

"the thing I thought that was in the way, well it was the way..."


At first listen, the mellow soft edges of  'All Roads' feel as reassuring and affable as Dan Mangan's face (he looks like a cool friendly man). Then the longer I listened to the track (on repeat) certain feelings put there by Dan started to seep in my head. The sense of melancholia, the tensions inherent in the beat and percolating percussive rhythms, the, at first, amiable bass line that then started feeling like questions with no answers and, finally, the sense I have felt before of existential dread. Oh, and the comfort of the curious but sagely line, "the thing I thought that was in the way, well it was the way...".

It turns out that Dan may very well be affable but he is also compelling and complex. The kind of guy I could have a round of beers with and discuss deep things. Things I didn't think about as a younger man, a more carefree soul.  

"It’s absurd and beautiful how much consideration and yearning we place into a life so fleeting,” Mangan explains. “In a billion years, it’s all just space dust. No John Lennon, no Oprah. Relativity is infinite, and we are infinitesimal. And yet, in the here and now, how could anything matter more? This song is about being emancipated by the beautiful humility of littleness."

I dig this song, it is sonically rich, it eases into you and makes you think about things and maybe even hug those you love a little bit tighter. 

 'All Roads' is from Dan Mangan's new album 'Being Somewhere' dropping October 28th (2022). Visit Dan's Facebook to find out how to pre-order. 

-Robb Donker Curtius

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https://www.facebook.com/danmanganmusic

https://twitter.com/danmanganmusic

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ByjU6oarxRC2Y85JpKx1n

https://www.youtube.com/user/danmanganmusic

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Over the past 10 years, Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Mangan has transitioned from an earnest 20-something folk troubadour playing open mics to earning top ten radio hits, scoring Hollywood films, collaborative with Dave Grohl, winning multiple JUNO Awards, performing on late night TV, and selling out legendary venues like Massey Hall. Mangan’s new album, 'Being Somewhere' (Oct '22), forges new territory, well beyond the tropes of modern folk music. Under the care of collaborator/producer Drew Brown (Radiohead, Beck), Mangan has emerged as a singular voice pushing the tradition forward.

Dan Mangan, indie rock, indie pop, folk, alt pop, folk, singer songwriter, musician, 'All Roads', upcoming album, 'Being Somewhere', JUNO Award winner, Canadian,