2008 Woodie Awards
REVIEW: Jack's Mannequin releases mixed bag on 'Passenger'
John Ray
Issue date: 10/1/08 Section: News
When I saw Jack's Mannequin this summer at the Vans Warped Tour in Kansas City, I wasn't too impressed. I had heard a lot of hype about the band but had never taken the time to really listen to them. When I saw Jack's Mannequin during the tour, the band failed to measure up to the buzz surrounding it. But after listening to Jack's Mannequin's newest album, "The Glass Passenger," my view has been slightly altered.
For those who haven't heard or paid attention to the band, Jack's Mannequin was formed after the band Something Corporate broke up. Although originally started by lead singer Andrew McMahon as a side project, it became his main priority after Something Corporate went defunct.
Most of the album's lyrics have an underlying theme of holding on when times are tough. The main reason for this is because of singer Andrew McMahon's fight and full recovery from leukemia, which he was diagnosed with while on tour supporting the band's last album in 2005.
"I swim to brighter days, in spite of the absence of sun," McMahon sings with great emotion in the song "Swim," as though to reach out to listeners going through rough times. He ends the song repeating "Just keep your head above. Swim."
When comparing the piano rock music of Jack's Mannequin to what I had heard from the band's other album, I noticed a major difference. "The Glass Passenger" sounds a lot more mellow, making it an album you may not want to listen to all of the time.
Not only is the album one that you may not want to listen to when you're in a energetic mood, but I also found myself finding individual songs to be hit or miss. It seemed as though I was pressing next just as many times as I was listening to a song all the way through. However, these songs changed on different occasions listening to the album, depending on my mood. In fact, the only time I listened to the entire album was while doing homework or just relaxing.
Some songs are definitely worth checking out, though. "The Resolution," "What Gets you Off," "Spinning," and "Swim" were songs I found myself listening to no matter what kind of mood I was in.
Diehard Jack's Mannequin or Andrew McMahon fans will undoubtedly love this album. However, for those who just somewhat like this band or haven't given the band a chance, I would recommend just buying the better tracks on iTunes.
johnray@dailynebraskan.com
For those who haven't heard or paid attention to the band, Jack's Mannequin was formed after the band Something Corporate broke up. Although originally started by lead singer Andrew McMahon as a side project, it became his main priority after Something Corporate went defunct.
Most of the album's lyrics have an underlying theme of holding on when times are tough. The main reason for this is because of singer Andrew McMahon's fight and full recovery from leukemia, which he was diagnosed with while on tour supporting the band's last album in 2005.
"I swim to brighter days, in spite of the absence of sun," McMahon sings with great emotion in the song "Swim," as though to reach out to listeners going through rough times. He ends the song repeating "Just keep your head above. Swim."
When comparing the piano rock music of Jack's Mannequin to what I had heard from the band's other album, I noticed a major difference. "The Glass Passenger" sounds a lot more mellow, making it an album you may not want to listen to all of the time.
Not only is the album one that you may not want to listen to when you're in a energetic mood, but I also found myself finding individual songs to be hit or miss. It seemed as though I was pressing next just as many times as I was listening to a song all the way through. However, these songs changed on different occasions listening to the album, depending on my mood. In fact, the only time I listened to the entire album was while doing homework or just relaxing.
Some songs are definitely worth checking out, though. "The Resolution," "What Gets you Off," "Spinning," and "Swim" were songs I found myself listening to no matter what kind of mood I was in.
Diehard Jack's Mannequin or Andrew McMahon fans will undoubtedly love this album. However, for those who just somewhat like this band or haven't given the band a chance, I would recommend just buying the better tracks on iTunes.
johnray@dailynebraskan.com
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