Nice Nice Very Nice

At 27 years old, Dan Mangan sometimes sounds like an old-soul songwriter who takes cues from previous generations and sings with the dirty, weathered croon of someone approaching middle age. On his second album, though, the Canada native also throws some contemporary curve balls into the mix. "Robots need love, too/They want to be loved by you," he sings on the second track, which begins as an acoustic tune before expanding into a stomping, horn-filled singalong. Auxiliary instruments surface throughout Nice, Nice, Very Nice, throwing some quirkiness into an album that also features plenty of sad, stripped-down folk. It's during the unexpected moments -- the quick crescendos in "You Silly Git," the electric guitar riffs in "Tina's Glorious Comeback," and the dynamic opening track -- that Mangan carves out a unique identity, and there are enough moments here to make this a pleasant follow-up. ~ Andrew Leahey