My first experience with the music of Andrew McMahon was from the wall of televisions at the back of the Target Electronics Department. I was 17, it was 2003, and As You Sleep from Something Corporate's Album "North" was playing in the loop. I bought the CD and immediately had to backtrack to the previous 2 studio albums, 3 extended plays, and countless other singles and compilations. "North" was the last album by Something Corporate, Andrew McMahon's successful high school band.
In 2004, while I was in my freshmen dorm room, a friend IMed me to inform me that SoCo was officially over and that Andrew was forming a new solo project, Jack's Mannequin. JM debuted 2 singles for fans to promote and I was hooked. Andrew's upbeat piano and expressive vocals had me pimping the band wherever I could. There was a slight departure of the emotional, adolescent themes of Something Corporate, but the lyrics still verged on immaturity. That was fine as I was 19 and still happy watching The OC. But something happened before the launch that changed Andrew McMahon's music forever.
Andrew McMahon was diagnosed with Lymphatic Leukemia. The documentary, Dear Jack follows Andrew's terrifying struggle with cancer. His very near death and miraculous recovery changed everything. Dear Jack features video of Andrew, almost skin and bones and looking like death, singing with a weakened voice, but his hands still find the piano keys with grace. Andrew's Christmas single, Lights and Buzz, followed his recovery and expressed the sentiment of joy at being alive for another holiday.
"The Glass Passenger" was the next album and it was beautiful. My husband, who prefers metal and gothic synth-pop, was thoroughly impressed with Crashin. My personal favorite was Hammers & Strings. There was the unfortunate unintentional comedy of Orphan, but overall the album was a win.
So when I found out that there was a new album due October 4th, I pre-ordered it on Amazon. It came Monday afternoon in the mail and I leaped to my car to shove it in the CD player and drive.
SCORE: 4.5/5 ★ Read the Breakdown Blow the Jump
♫1) My Racing Thoughts ★★★★☆
The first track starts with a classic, upbeat Andrew Piano tune. It's everything you would expect lyrically and musically from a Jack's Mannequin tune.
♫2) Release Me ★★★★☆
Like American Love off "The Glass Passenger", Release Me is a bit more rock and roll with a slight 80's feel to the guitar. It's another musically strong, lyrically strong track. At this point in the album I was glad to have more JM music, but not thoroughly impressed, because I like to see evolution from the artists I listen to.
♫3) Television ★★★★★
This was where I started to see a change. Previous lyrics by Andrew McMahon have seemed cynical about faith. Last Straw especially, implied that God was a convention of human sociology. Lyrically, in Television, I saw a shift towards a more spiritual side. It may still be uncertain, but at least the attitude is positive and humble.
Vocally, Television shows that Andrew McMahon has become more comfortable with his voice. His vocals do not loose the expression, but his belts become richer and more confident.
♫4) Amy, I ★★★★★
Amy, I is, hands down, my new favorite song about a girl named Amy. It has some decent competition with Elton John, Switchfoot, Pure Prairie League, and if you go with alternate spellings, Damien Rice in the running. Not only is Amy, I a great song musically, the lyrics have a special meaning to me. It's not just because my name is Amy.
Amy, I tells the story of a man who is living in a climate much colder than his usual, to be with a girl he loves. He's associating the bitter cold with the memories of new love. It's worth it to be there "trying to fight this freeze."
My now husband spent a year in Massachusetts during the winter with the epic ice storm that took out power across New England for days (in some places, weeks). We were engaged and he was looking for work up north. He eventually found a job in Alabama and we spent nearly a year long-distance before our wedding. With that context, it might be understandable why I cried when I heard this song.
The guy in this video even looks like Kyle with the glasses. :)
♫5) Hey, Hey, Hey (We're All Gonna Die) ★★★★☆
Great title, right? After his near death and the brutally honest mortality of "The Glass Passenger", I had no doubt that this song would have autobiographical qualities. Indeed, this song is about his journey through his solo career and his struggle for survival. Andrew beautiful describes his diagnosis with this poetic lyric.
The label looked proud/ the New York show sold out/ but I noticed a change in the weather// it's getting cold/ could you hand me my sweater?
This song, in conjunction with "The Glass Passenger" tells a story. "The Glass Passenger" is filled with fear, fragility, and mortality. Hey, Hey, Hey (We're All Gonna Die) shows an acceptance of that fact. We are all gonna die, so we need to live.
Plus, the music video has ROLLER DERBY, and I'm a Derby Girl.
♫6) People, Running ★★★★☆
People, Running continues that story. We're All Gonna Die. That fact has been accepted. But let's not think too much about it, this song says. You can't dwell on the meaning of life and death if you are going to live your life.
We are only chemical and skin/ barely strapped in for this air-conditioned ride/ we are tired of waiting/ still we stand in line
We are just these people running around/ and I am in no hurry to figure it out
It's upbeat and well-written. The drums are really solid in this song.
♫7) Amelia Jean ★★★★★
Amelia Jean is another song that shows Andrew's new-found vocal comfort. It's also one of the first where he relies heavily on background vocals to create his music. There are hints of it in other songs, but for the first time in my memory, he really uses vocal harmony to add to the song.
Amelia Jean moves on to another personal theme. Andrew McMahon married after his recovery from cancer. He's also a touring musician, so it's not hard to imagine that this song is close to his heart. Amelia Jean is about traveling and being constantly away from the one you love.
It's a wonderful, beautiful song. It's one of my favorites to sing along with when he belts, too.
♫8) Platform Fire ★★★★☆
This song is has some of the richest piano on the album. As an artist in a family of supportive artists, this song also carries a very touching sentiment. You don't talk me down/ you're talking me through.
♫9) Hostage ★★★☆☆
Hostage is a fun song, but overall I'd say it doesn't stand out against the rest of the tracks on this album. Don't get me wrong, it's a great song, but when this album isn't so new to me I'm eager to hear Amy, I again, I might press next.
♫10) Restless Dream ★★★★★
A sleepy, sincere song, Restless Dream comes back to the theme of being away from the one you love. Andrew McMahon is a piano player, but this song is predominantly acoustic guitar. Other stringed instruments work their way in after two minutes and I'm pretty sure I hear some woodwinds as well, but the piano, if there at all, is incredibly subtle.
It's a perfect melody to showcase the unrivaled emotional expression from Andrew McMahon's vocals.
It's funny how the words we never say/ can turn into the only thoughts we know
♫11) Casting Lines ★★★★☆
There is a quality I cannot quite pinpoint about Casting Lines that reminds me of the great piano pop men-- Elton John, Billy Joel, etc. On the regular album, this is the last track. It's a perfect wrap-up for an album, a song about coming home.
BONUS TRACKS (iTunes only)
No Man Is an Island ★★★★★
Ten Days Gone ★★★☆☆
Dancing With a Gun ★★★★☆
Broken Bird ★★★☆☆
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