Spring Break
McMahon's 'Glass Passenger' sparkles
Mylo Wiles
Issue date: 9/23/08 Section: Arts and Entertainment
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Jack's Mannequin's piano driven music has been heard before, but has remained generally under the radar.
Their first album "Everything in Transit" sold 250,000+ albums in the US alone; however, "The Glass Passenger" unveils a far more focused, and bigger sounding band than their debut.
Tracks like the power-pop influenced "American Love" find the band firing on all cylinders. Making liberal use of sharp synthesizers, listeners are treated to a dense arrangement that is as accessible as it is expansive.
Jack's Mannequin's unique take on piano rock is most often attributed to front man and primary songwriter, Andrew McMahon.
Originally from the band Something Corporate, McMahon began Jack's Mannequin as a solo project for songs that weren't quite Something Corporate.
And while they've come a long way from their previous hit "The Mixed Tape," "The Glass Passenger" shows listeners that Jack's Mannequin is more than just a side project.
The album deftly displays how McMahon's sugary voice is very different from other current artists.
A comparison might be made between McMahon and Clayton Stroope from the band Thriving Ivory, but McMahon's impassioned croon distinguishes a talent all his own.
Yet McMahon doesn't deserve all of the credit, as there are other solid performances on "The Glass Passenger."
The rest of Jack's Mannequin consists of a tight rhythm section, thanks to the pulsing bass work from Jonathan Sullivan and the steady drum fills of Jay McMillan.
Guitarist Bobby Anderson rounds out the group, providing solid back-up vocals as well as the necessary guitar touches that complement McMahon's piano.
A majority of McMahon's songs feature love as a common theme as well as vivid images from his native California.
The result is an album that feels fresh rather than cliché, a set of songs with character rather than ballads that adhere to a painfully obvious formula.
Whether these songs are the byproduct of McMahon's unfortunate run-in with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, it's not clear.
It is possible that some of the tracks featured on the new album are the result of some soul searching done by the infamous piano front man after his diagnosis in June 2005.
The aptly titled "Swim" might have been one such song inspired by the near death experience.
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