Music Review: Dan Mangan + Blacksmith, Club Meds

By Tyler Hodg

Thanks to Dan Mangan + Blacksmith’s new album Club Meds, the year 2015 has gotten off to an impressive start musically.

But before you listen to it, first thing’s first: grab your headphones, find an isolated area, and make sure to turn off all of the lights. Some albums deserve proper atmosphere for an optimal listening experience, and Club Meds is a prime example.

Dan Mangan has once again found a way to evolve as a musician and a songwriter. Following up his 2011 album Oh Fortune, Club Meds’ seductive sounds lead you down a dark path, which serves as a significant stylistic departure from his prior work. Not that his previous music didn’t deliver thought provoking subject matter, but this album seems to demonstrate his maturity in more ways than one.

On the musical side, Club Meds is extremely layered. The array of instruments included on the album are intriguing enough, with the horns, synths, and vocal alterations being definite sonic highlights from the album. Yet Blacksmith—comprised of fellow Vancouver natives Gordon Grdina and Kenton Loewen (both of Peregrine Falls) and John Walsh—complements Dan Mangan in a way that adds a special, indescribable element to the music.

Club Meds’ one fault serves as its greatest strength; the album is so dark and bold, it may alienate some listeners by frequently catering to a specific musical theme. The first single, “Vessel,” is the most commercial sounding song on the album, but it’s far from what is considered traditional and still includes the bleak undertone that follows throughout the record. Don’t expect to feel peachy after listening to it; Club Meds drags you down mentally, which in a way shows the strength and impact it can have on its listener.

In an interview with The Guardian, Dan Mangan stated: “As I get older, I get less and less inspired by any art that isn’t inherently political in some measure. I start to wonder what is the point if you’re not saying something?” While his comment is debatable, it’s undeniably apparent that Mangan’s views have birthed a passionate piece of art that he—and Blacksmith, respectively—can call their own.

Club Meds was released via Arts & Crafts on January 13.