3/5 stars

Self-described as an album of “sedation”, Dan Mangan’s Club Meds arrives after a four-year break with the help of Blacksmith, a collective Mangan has been performing with since 2003. It would be easy to slip into a trance listening to this album – pop on your headphones and immerse yourself in the layered textures, addictive loops and eerie distortion.

It’s tempting to liken Mangan’s voice to honey – but perhaps more apt to envisage honeycomb, smooth and warm while laced with a gruff, coarse undertone. His formula, while still utilising the laidback rhythm of his previous work, is now accompanied by feedback loops, fuzzy vocal effects and even a Baltic-style brass section (‘New Skies’). There are also more cinematic productions ‘Mouthpiece’ and ‘Vessel’, the latter indeed being used as part of Simon Pegg’s indie film Hector And The Search For Happiness.

While Mangan’s voice may not be entirely suited to some of the quicker rhythms, one thing is certain – he is one hell of a songsmith. Albums like these – ‘growers’ is the usual term – are multi-layered.

Just when you think you know the music, you start listening to the lyrics. That’s when you really experience Dan Mangan.

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