"Let's start a war for the kids", the opening line of "Post-War Blues", is a good example of Dan Mangan's subversive wit. The link between economics and conflict is a secret topic for boardrooms and here a young singer's sarcasm blurts it out. Oh Fortune,/em> lets ragged beginnings set up contemplative, nearly acoustic, numbers that build. Lifted by a haunting chorus, "Rows of Houses" fits into themes recently explored ornately by Arcade Fire and Sufjan Stevens. Mangan's second album, Very Nice, Very Nice, surprised a lot of people, landing on the Polaris Prize short list. He's up for the expectations and so is his malleable orchestra.
