„Fuck fear“

– Fans von Bands wie Mumford & Sons, Bon Iver oder den Fleet Foxes haben diesen Mann bestimmt bereits auf dem Schirm, und alle anderen sollten ebenfalls einmal reinhören, was dieser Kanadier zu sagen hat.

Denn in seiner Heimat ist Dan Mangan bereits ein Star, in Europa hingegen noch relativ unbekannt. „Oh Fortune“ heißt seine aktuelle Platte, erschienen Ende 2011, also in einer Zeit, als man gerade eifrig mit dem Erstellen von Bestenlisten beschäftigt war. Man sollte aber nicht den Fehler machen, diesen Singer/Songwriter zu übersehen, der bereits mit The Decemberists und Okkervil River auf Tour war. Seine Songs sind voller wunderbarer Harmonien, Americana-Anleihen und Geschichten, bei denen das Zuhören lohnt…

Im Interview erklärt er sich zum zynischen Optimisten und verflucht die Angst als solche…

You say you find your new album more sincere and more relevant than what you’ve done before – how does that relevance and sincerity show?
I think that in my body of work, this album is the most honest representation of what I intended it to be. To elaborate, I believe it to be closest to my heart. I’m not sure exactly how it shows, but I feel like this album relies on charm less than the previous ones. It has less to prove. It’s more comfortable in its skin.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Anything I’ve encountered that’s inspiring – for better or worse. I think writers are like sponges, soaking up anything absorbable. I can’t help but be manipulated in millions of varying directions depending on what’s at hand. Politics, family, society, music, film, literature, relationships, fads, sounds, guts.

On your album „Oh Fortune“ you work together with jazz musicians as well as with a whole orchestra – how did that cooperation occur?
Vancouver has the most incredible experimental music scene. The jazz scene here is more „out“ than most in North America, and it’s been such a pleasure to poach players from that community. I love the ideology behind improvisational players, and love to surround myself with people who I feel I can learn from.

You stated that „Oh Fortune“ is more you than anything you’ve ever done before – who is that ‚you‘?
Hopefully realistic. Optimistically cynical.

„Oh Fortune“ sounds very settled and self-confident – is there anything you fear?
Fear is at the heart of everything that’s disheartening about the world, myself included. Fuck fear.

Who other songwriters influenced you or do you admire?
These days? Thom Yorke, Justin Vernon, M. Ward, Bry Webb, Chad VanGaalen.

You’re already a big star in your home country, now on your way to a big success in the old world, too. What differences do you see between the music scenes of Canada and Europe?
Europe makes better cheese and better bread. The drives are longer in North America. People are the same everywhere at the core, save for a handful of social tendencies.

What would you be if you weren’t a singer/songwriter?
Maybe a school teacher? Maybe a journalist or radio broadcaster? Maybe I’d start a record label. Maybe all of the above?

Tina Manske

Dan Mangan: Oh Fortune. City Slang. Zur Homepage von Dan Mangan. Foto-Copyright: Jonathan Taggart.