Most music -- especially the best music -- is inspired by life-changing events. This is probably why Jack's Mannequin's latest record, "The Glass Passenger," is one of the best power pop records of the year, if not the decade.
Drawing from his successful battle with leukemia, frontman Andrew McMahon crafts 13 beautiful, energetic and diverse songs.
Built on his trademark 'piano rock' sound, TGP opens with a pair rocking tracks -- "Crashin'" and "Spinning" -- setting the tempo for the rest of the record. He follows these with one of the more intimate tracks on the record, "Swim," on which the cancer survivor sings "I swim to brighter days/Despite the absence of sun/Choking on salt water/I'm not giving in/You gotta swim."
"Suicide Blonde" is a rocker on the order of "If You C Jordan," from McMahon's days in Something Corporate. The record's diversity is further highlighted on "American Love" and "Bloodshot," two tracks which feature some scattered, 80s-style synth sounds. While the deviation in 'keys' caught me off guard initially, I am now unable to imagine the tracks with out it.
"Annie Use Your Telescope" and "Caves" showcase JM's knack for ballads. The former is a sweeping, strings-and-piano number that reinforces McMahon's development as both a lyricist and composer. The latter is the closing track, a seven-minute affair that switches gears half-way through -- from minimal pianos and McMahon's hushed falsetto to a driving, orchestral climax.
I'd also highly recommend the handful of tracks that didn't make the cut for TGP; Released as bonus tracks and on an iTunes-exclusive EP, "Cell Phone," "Sleazy Wednesday," "At Full Speed," and "Miss California" are too good to be cast aside. The lyrical cadence of "At Full Speed" is fantastic and "Miss California" plays like a prequel to "Suicide Blonde."
If my heralding didn't make it abundantly clear, "The Glass Passenger" is the frontrunner to be my choice for record of the year. Andrew McMahon took a tragedy and turned it into a masterpiece, proving his mettle as an extraordinary power pop musican, lyricist and composer.
The Denouement:
Absolutely Essential for fans of Jack's Mannequin, Something Corporate and Pop/piano rock.
Fairly Essential for anyone with working ears.
"Suicide Blonde" is a rocker on the order of "If You C Jordan," from McMahon's days in Something Corporate. The record's diversity is further highlighted on "American Love" and "Bloodshot," two tracks which feature some scattered, 80s-style synth sounds. While the deviation in 'keys' caught me off guard initially, I am now unable to imagine the tracks with out it.
"Annie Use Your Telescope" and "Caves" showcase JM's knack for ballads. The former is a sweeping, strings-and-piano number that reinforces McMahon's development as both a lyricist and composer. The latter is the closing track, a seven-minute affair that switches gears half-way through -- from minimal pianos and McMahon's hushed falsetto to a driving, orchestral climax.
I'd also highly recommend the handful of tracks that didn't make the cut for TGP; Released as bonus tracks and on an iTunes-exclusive EP, "Cell Phone," "Sleazy Wednesday," "At Full Speed," and "Miss California" are too good to be cast aside. The lyrical cadence of "At Full Speed" is fantastic and "Miss California" plays like a prequel to "Suicide Blonde."If my heralding didn't make it abundantly clear, "The Glass Passenger" is the frontrunner to be my choice for record of the year. Andrew McMahon took a tragedy and turned it into a masterpiece, proving his mettle as an extraordinary power pop musican, lyricist and composer.
The Denouement:
Absolutely Essential for fans of Jack's Mannequin, Something Corporate and Pop/piano rock.
Fairly Essential for anyone with working ears.
