Dan Mangan Album Reissued in US by Canadian Mega-Indie Arts & Crafts

Canuck indie It Boy Dan Mangan's star continues to rise with news that the Vancouver singer-songwriter's sophomore album, 'Nice, Nice, Very Nice,' will be released in the US via the Arts & Crafts label on Aug 10.

Mangan, who's signed to the management roster of the label (home to Broken Social Scene and Feist, among others), tells Spinner his association with the acclaimed indie imprint came about rather fortuitously.

"There was a time when I used to chase people down and try give them my CD," he admits sheepishly, "but that never happened with them. A couple people in the [Arts & Crafts] office really got into the album and started passing it around. I had actually contacted them to see about a reference for somebody else who I was interested in working with as management, and they were kinda like, 'Well, we've heard good things about them, but maybe you should get on the phone with us," he laughs.

"And from day one, it felt really familiar and easy. It's a different dynamic when it happens that way -- you hear some of those charming stories: 'Oh, I busked in front of their office for three years until they finally noticed,'" Mangan quips. "It didn't happen that way, but it was a really organic start to things. It's really exciting -- their strategy, their ethics, their morals are all so unique, and it's such a thrill to be working with them."

The American release of 'Nice, Nice, Very Nice' (titled in reference to a Kurt Vonnegut poem) comes a full year after it came out in Canada -- a year which saw the unassuming everyman troubadour skyrocket to critical and audience acclaim based on the album's catchy, melodic folk-pop tunes. Mangan took home the $25,000 XM Verge Artist of the Year award last fall, and two Bucky Awards from CBC Radio 3 for his infectious single 'Robots.' A number of the engaging videos for tracks from 'Nice, Nice, Very Nice' are currently up for filmmaking awards.


"[The album's success] is surprising nobody more than myself, I'll tell you that," Mangan enthuses. "Criminal Records [in Toronto] told me it was the second-most selling record in 2009 at their store, which is unbelievable. It's just surprising, and amazing things just keep happening. I've had the most incredibly fortunate year. I set my expectations very low, and my hopes very high, and somehow it all worked out in between."

After years of relentlessly pushing to get his music heard, including nonstop touring behind his 2007 debut and cobbling together the funding to record 'Nice, Nice, Very Nice', Mangan's tireless belief seems to be paying off. He's planning to get started on a new album in the fall, which he hopes will also find a home on his new label.

"[Arts & Crafts] have been pretty steady in releasing some of the most critically acclaimed stuff in Canadian history, so why wouldn't I want my records released by them? When I talk about putting stuff out with them, it's certainly no disservice to the label I have been working with," he says of File Under: Music, the tiny Vancouver indie label that initially released his albums. "They've put so much time and financial investment in me, but it's also an emotional thing -- I've been working with them for three or four years, and they've really seen things right from the ground level. So it's been a great relationship, and I don't see an end in sight with them in terms of being pals."


But a rising profile necessitates a bigger platform, and Mangan's association with Arts & Crafts will also see his album released in Europe and Australia later this year. Before that, he'll introduce his singalong-worthy tunes to American audiences with some California showcases later this month. And big things continue to happen for the flannel-shirted folkie -- in June, he'll be taking the main stage at the Glastonbury Festival in the UK alongside fellow Canadians Broken Social Scene and Holy F---, among other notable names.

Mangan just shakes his head and smiles as he acknowledges his unlikely rise on the back of a very simple, yet utterly heartfelt album.

"You put a lot of work into a record, but a lot of people put a lot of work into a lot of records," he points out. "You hope that people are going to like it, but you just can't predict anything, you know? It can be something you're so passionate and so sure of, but it could totally bomb and nobody cares. I'm just trying to take advantage of the momentum and just appreciate it for what it's worth."