Natural Light

Dan Mangan has spent so many years drifting away from his formative folky sound—through experiments with electronic beats and post-rock textures—that it’s almost a shock to hear him casually picking on an acoustic guitar at the start of his ninth album. Recorded over six days at a southern Ontario cottage with a seasoned cast of Canadian indie ringers (Zeus’ Mike O’Brien, Ron Sexsmith’s go-to drummer Don Kerr, bassist Jason Haberman), *Natural Light* sees the veteran Vancouver singer-songwriter returning to his rustic roots but singing with the wisdom and worry of a concerned parent wondering what kind of planet his kids will inherit. There’s an ever-present tension between the wood-cabin warmth of the performances and Mangan’s world-weary lyrics: “Diminishing Returns” is a doomscrolling diagnosis of our fragile earth soothed by a string-swept soft-rock groove, while the acoustic elegy “Soapbox” sounds like a state-of-the-union address from the most dejected busker on the block, yielding a slow-burning protest song exuding equal amounts of grit and grace. But *Natural Light*’s weighty topicality is eased by Mangan’s keen self-awareness and dry wit: “This mopey introspection is getting old,” he deadpans on “No Such Thing As Wasted Love,” but with *Natural Light*, Mangan reverts to his old ways with a renewed sense of purpose.