There is definitely a small case of second-album-syndrome, even though this is actually Dan Mangan’s third full-length. After Nice, Nice, Very Nice, he was rocketed into indie stardom, picked up by international record label Arts & Crafts and named Artist of the Year by the Verge Music Awards. That kind of leap often proves to be detrimental to the following album, which suffers from the weight of expectation and has a tendency to sound a little forced. While this is to some degree the case with Oh, Fortune, the album still sparkles with a sincerity, originality and wit that is distinctly Dan Mangan.

While the album doesn’t overwhelm, it also doesn’t disappoint, and this balancing act is painted clearly in the first track, "About As Helpful as You Can Get Without Being Any Help At All." Opening with the beating of a wide piano chord and atmospheric orchestration, the soundscape is quickly peeled away leaving an intricate string-orchestra which is soon joined by Mangan’s comforting voice. Joining the string section after the first verse is a section of woodwinds as well as Mangan’s band. He uses the orchestra with such a confidence and straightforwardness that it comes across effectively and doesn’t distract from the quality of the song.

Stringing the first two tracks together is a scratchy soundscape, which stretches throughout the entire second track in some form and, in this case, it does distract from the quality of the song. While the material here is strong, the arrangement and production is over the top and the song suffers as a result. This will be the major downfall of the album; Mangan and co. don’t know when to strip down, instead opting to fill every hole with some kind of expansive sound. “Post-War Blues” is the epitome of noisiness-rather-than-content. It’s a forced attempt at being upbeat and is easily the weakest song on either of his two recent albums. His yelling voice is put to use here, but for the first time it sounds insincere, heralds a disco drum beat with a muddy lead guitar which kills what little momentum the song had. Lyrically it’s hard to tell what he’s talking about in “Post-War Blues,” a title and subject which seems completely ignorant of current historical context.

I’m happy to say that the low point of the album is behind us and Mangan opens the next track, “If I Am Dead,” with the welcome sound of an unaccompanied acoustic guitar. While the soundscape obsession is evident here as it is everywhere on Oh, Fortune, this track is not an example of why it’s a bad thing. Here it is done with taste and subtlety and the song is the best since the opener, even if the big orchestra in the last seconds induces a bit of a cringe.

On the bright side, the pattern is: the less good the song, the more over-the-top the arrangement. Mangan and co. know when a song can stand up on its own two feet and when it needs something else, which is the case with the brief “Daffodil” which is almost completely buried in a muddle, like listening from the parking lot to a band playing in an arena. The lyrics are more cute than witty and Mangan’s voice sounds like he’s singing through a megaphone. This is filler material the likes of which we haven’t seen from him before.

“Starts With Them, Ends With Us” is one of the strongest tracks here, returning to a more thoughtful, tasteful arrangement. It’s a song that grows on you, which could be a good thing or a bad thing. Mangan’s voice is front and center in the mix as usual but both the melody and the lyrics lack the immediacy which made Nice, Nice, Very Nice such a classic. This is a problem consistent with the entirety of Oh, Fortune, and which certainly applies to the title track. The song fails because the melody isn’t just not catchy, it’s exceptionally weak. To add insult to injury, the song doesn’t seem to know the melody is weak. Not only was the album named after it, but the arrangement is built on a driving beat which is little more than a foundation for a melody which is expected to stand on its own.

“Leaves, Trees, Forest” is the standout track. In many ways its highly representative of the entire album, with busy arrangements, soundscape textures, borderline-too-much electric guitar, moody lyrics and a melody which is more emotive than catchy, but if anything this is the sound that they were trying (and occasionally failing) to replicate throughout the whole album. Everything here clicks together and paints are very clear which will stay in your head after everything else about Oh, Fortune has gone. The track is the apex of the album’s arc, and the tone of resolution takes shape first in the form of “Rows of Houses,” the biggest rock out of the record. Mangan’s voice is gruff, the guitar is crunchy, and the snare drum is in your face, convincing pulling off one of the most memorable songs here.

The penultimate track is arranged similar to “Daffodil,” which is a shame because “Regarding Death and Dying” is a much better song and didn’t deserve to get buried beneath the noisy environmental soundscape and the alarm-clock-radio mix of Mangan’s guitar and voice. Bon Iver-esque group vocals close the song and make way for the final and longest track “Jeopardy.” The closer has all the right Mangan ingredients. The vocal melody, performance and lyrics are all more gripping and memorable than anywhere else on Oh, Fortune. This is a welcome return to form for anybody disappointed in the changes he’s made on the new release, with classic lines such as: “What happens when all flags burn together? Is that unity?” He hasn’t lost it, he’s just trying to see where else he can take it.