I am probably one of Jack's Mannequin's hugest fans right now. Their album Everything In Transit is probably my favorite album to date and has always been inspiration and help for me in hard times. That being said, I was desperately looking forward to JM's latest installment, as any new material from Andrew McMahon is always a pleasure.
However, I had mixed feelings at first. I didn't want this album to take the place of EIT in my mind, nor did I want my view of JM or McMahon to change because of the new songs.
Long story short: the wait was worth it, and the work couldn't be better!
Andrew has matured so much since his debut JM album. His musical themes and song narratives are both more mature and developed, giving the songs a fuller and richer sound. He uses the story of his battle with cancer, not as the album's main focus, but rather as a tool to help tell his life story through music. Thus his emotion can truly be felt in his music. In both "Caves" and "Hammers and Strings (A Lullaby)" McMahon infuses the songs with emotion, and uses his falsetto to bring a sense of panic ("Caves") or utter desperation ("Hammers") to the pieces.
However, there are two items I must comment on about the album. First of all, unlike EIT, not all the songs are hits, the stand out being "Suicide Blonde". Personally, I can not stand the song, and it seems so unlike Andrew to be writing a song like this. Also, the song "Doris Day" was not released on the American version of the album, which was disappointing to say the least.
Taken all into consideration, The Glass Passenger is definitely recommended for Jack's Mannequin's fans and casual listeners alike. It's definitely not Everything In Transit, and that is precisely what makes it shine.
4 1/2 stars out of 5
Monday, October 20, 2008
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