Album Review: Jack's Mannequin - Glass Passenger

Jack’s Mannequin is the brainchild of Andy McMahon, who has been working on shedding his auspicious background in Something Corporate in search of a more mature, piano-based sound. His first CD Everything in Transit started the journey, but was foiled by moments of bad falsettos and lyrics that brought back the evil ghosts of SoCo past. The CD on the whole, though, showed promise (I gave it a 75 on my scale with no review, details below) and definitely paved the way for McMahon to find a new destination for his piano and poignant yet simple lyrics to grow.

And they have. In these past two years, McMahon has worked on an album that transcends his earlier sound and replaces it with a similar but evolved sound. Barring one unsightly (unhearly?) song on the album, The Glass Passenger has the music and lyrical ability to change McMahon from pop punk prince to bonafide singer/songwriter territory.

From the well-paced “Resolution” to the frighteningly melodic “Caves,” the songs pack a punch of pleasing vocals, musical ability, and pathos-inspiring content that carry the album through each track in a roller-coaster mixing effort, moving from the opening “Resolution” and “Spinning” to the powerful ballad “Swim” and back up to the fast-paced “American Love” (“Drop Out,” “Lullaby,” and “Bloodshot” is also a great example of this up-down-up style of track placement).

There are a few snags in the motion, and I will be frank and say that if it weren’t for the completely skippable “Annie Use Your Telescope” and the train-wreck track “Suicide Blonde,” this CD would get an A for sure. However, not only are these tracks on the CD, they are placed back-to-back – one of my biggest peeves concerning CDs. You can have two bad songs on a CD without a problem – they just can’t be back to back. This creates a double skip which disrupts song flow and brings the end of the CD earlier.

Despite this problem, Jack’s Mannequin’s Glass Passenger is a great album and is well worth meddling in MTV’s muddy waters to pick up.

Scoring:

Replayability: (18/20) Every time the slow and intoxicating piano riff of “Caves” comes to an end, I brace myself for the opening of “Resolution,” ready for another ride on McMahon’s Mannequin Masher. (That was terrible. I apologize.) The point is that the CD melts from last track to first and begs for more listens, if only to hear some of the great piano playing again.

Music: (19/20) Points for the segue! This may seem like a high score, but Andrew McMahon is a piano BEAST. “Swim,” “Caves,” and “Lullaby” first caught my attention on the great piano work. It took me a few more listens to realize that all of the instruments on the album get this same talented treatment – everything fits perfectly, and the drums and guitar are perfect complements to McMahon’s ivories.

Lyrics: (17/20) Samples of the simple: “Give me something to believe in/
a breath from breathing/So write it down/I don't think I'll close my eyes,/Cause lately I've not been dreaming/so whats the point in sleeping/it's just that at night/I've got no where to hide/so I'll write you a lullaby.” Not anything that would win awards in poetry, but very powerful in their accessibility. This is where McMahon shines most: lyrics that seem normal and even uncreative, but can elicit an emotional response when you least expect it.

Completeness: (14/20) Previously mentioned. One bad song, fine. Two, that’s okay. But back to back? No way, Jack.

Emotional Pull (18/20) There’s an identifiable feeling in listening to Jack’s Mannequin, and part of it has to do with the accessibility of McMahon’s lyrics. When listening to “Swim,” one finds strength in persistence; in “Drop Out – The So Unknown,” the blissful yet confused essence of youth. There’s plenty of emotions to find on this album, and all of them are universal (except in “Lullaby” where McMahon writes that his friend calls him “Andy” – that doesn’t usually happen to me).

Total Score: 86

Grade: B

A big jump from the last CD, and that change is not just easy to identify because of a difference in numbers. Quick listens to both albums will show that in the two years since making his Jack’s Mannequin debut, McMahon has grown as a songwriter and possibly a person as well, and his music easily reflects it. Hopefully this trend will continue in the future.


Extras

Check/Check Plus/Check Minus: A new addition to the format (hey, a lot changes in a year and a half!), I divide the CD into big hits, near-hits, and big misses.

Resolution √+
Spinning √
Swim √+
American Love √
What Gets You Off? √
Crashing √
Annie Use… √-
Suicide Blonde √-
Drop Out √+
Lullaby √+
Bloodshot √+
Orphans √
Caves √


Previous Artist Ratings: As promised, here’s a quick, explanation-less rating of Jack’s Mannequin’s first album, Everything in Transit.

Replayability: (16/20)
Music: (16/20)
Lyrics: (14/20)
Completeness: (13/20)
Emotional Pull: (16/20)

Total Score: 75

Grade: C


Feels good to be back. Expect another review in the next week or so.

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Album: Agony and Irony