''Club Meds'' is the fourth
studio album by Juno winning
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
singer-songwriter
Dan Mangan
Daniel Mangan (born April 28, 1983) is a Canadian musician. He has won two Juno awards and has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe and Australia, having released 5 studio LPs and numerous EPs and singles. He has scored for featur ...
, released on 13 January 2015. It is his first album to be released under the moniker Dan Mangan + Blacksmith.
Background
Mangan's previous solo effort, 2011's
Oh Fortune earned him a JUNO Award for New Artist of the Year and for Alternative Album of the Year. Club Meds comes after a two-year hiatus in Mangans' career so he could concentrate on being a father. Blacksmith is formed by a variety of Vancouver musicians, primarily Kenton Loewen, Gordon Grdina and John Walsh. A press release by the group claims that "Through a fog of analog feedback loops and synths, the band’s performances breathe deeply and steadily like a dragon at rest."
Singles
The first single to be released off the album is "Vessel", written for the 2014 film ''
Hector and the Search for Happiness'' starring
Simon Pegg
Simon John Pegg (né Beckingham; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. H ...
. Mangan composed multiple other instrumental sections and is credited on the film's score. Jason Grishkoff of IndieShuffle said that "I had to keep Dan's new track 'Vessel' on repeat, and the good news is that it pretty much didn't get old". A video for the single directed by artist Ben Clarkson was released on October 21, 2014. Reception to the video was positive with NPR's Bob Boilen writing that "The video is stunning — funny, odd and quirky, but with a sense of purpose"
Speaking on the music video and song, Mangan stated that "people are comfortable with a middle-ground safe place. We're afraid to be honest with ourselves and actually work through the highs and the lows and embrace them."
The song also features
Dave Grohl on backing vocals and slide guitar.
A second single, "Mouthpiece", was released November 5, 2014. ''Spin'' wrote that "Mouthpiece" was "a memorable cut that should hopefully make the positive word of mouth migrate down to the U.S."
Tour
Mangan has announced a North American tour in support of the album. Beginning October 25, 2014 in Philadelphia and ending in Vancouver on March 14, 2015, the tour comprises 36 dates including a performance at Toronto's famous
Massey Hall
Massey Hall is a performing arts theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1894, it is known for its outstanding acoustics and was the long-time hall of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. An intimate theatre, it was originally designed to sea ...
.
Support on the tour include Canadian singer-songwriter
Hayden and Calgary act
Astral Swans.
Critical reception
Alex Hudson of ''
Exclaim!'' stated: "This record posits Mangan as a bandleader rather than a solo act, since it's co-credited to his group Blacksmith, and it downplays troubadour-like folksiness in favour of cryptic darkness. Although Mangan is still a balladeer at heart, his mellow songs now come swaddled in blankets of reverb and fleshed out by inventive full-band arrangements that draw on art-rock, worldbeat and jazz."
Track listing
Music composed by Dan Mangan + Blacksmith (Dan Mangan, Gordon Grdina, Kenton Loewen, John Walsh). All lyrics by Dan Mangan, except where noted.
References
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2015 albums
Dan Mangan albums
Arts & Crafts Productions albums