Jack's Mannequin's Latest Album
Andrew McMahon Portrays Struggles with Cancer in The Glass Passenger
Oct 25, 2008
After a three-year intermission between album releases, mainly due to front man Andrew McMahon’s complicating battle with Leukemia and Lymphoma, Jack’s Mannequin’s second album "The Glass Passenger" was finally released in the close of September. This CD’s sound brings back memories of McMahon’s previous band Something Corporate, moving away from the story telling aspect he chose for Jack’s Mannequin’s debut album. The Glass Passenger is more of a personal expression of McMahon’s struggles with cancer. Topics like death and loneliness are dominant in his lyrics.
Never Giving Up
“Swim” focuses metaphorically on his heart-wrenching struggle to keep giving his fans more, despite his hardships. “You gotta swim, swim for your life. Swim for the music that saves you when you're not so sure you'll survive. You gotta swim, swim when it hurts. The whole world is watching, you haven't come this far to fall off the earth.” These words bring true his ultimate struggle simply to release this cd and not disappoint his fans regardless of his health issues.
In most songs, McMahon resorts to a lower octave, sometimes approaching monotone whispers, due to the complications with Lymphoma he’s been experiencing with his voice. It can be heard in some songs when he tries his hardest to belt out the words, and amazingly manages to pull it off for his fans. His voice may crack and stretch with each syllable, but he never gives up.
Treatment
A more literal description of his hospital treatment for cancer and anxiety problems is portrayed in the powerful ballad “Caves.”
“I'm caught somewhere in between alive and living a dream. No peace. Just clicking machines in the quiet of compazine. The walls caved in on me. And she sings, my bird dressed in white. And she stings my arm in the night. I lay still. Still I'm ready to fight. Have my lungs, but you can't take my sight. The walls caved in tonight.”
McMahon metaphorically describes his hospital room as a cave, a cramped, dark space where he feels trapped. His only source of relief is his nurse, his "bird," who brings the medication. McMahon even talks directly to the cancer telling it bluntly he is not going to give up without a fight.
A Musical Shift
In his music, Andrew McMahon is known for his instrument of choice, the piano, but "The Glass Passenger" seems to focus more on electronic sounds and guitars. The piano manages to move to the background in the rock songs. Tracks like “Spinning,” Suicide Blonde,” and “Bloodshot,” are good examples of these changes. McMahon’s use of a synthesizer gives these songs a different feel, almost dream-like. The transition to an electric keyboard gives Jack’s Mannequin a subtle similarity to bands like Motion City Soundtrack.
A Personal Touch
In “Hammers and Strings (A Lullaby)” McMahon continues to give his music a personal touch as he describes writing a song for an old friend. He includes dialogue, incorporating his own name in with the lyrics. The friend appears to be suffering from some kind of mental illness and is calling out to her friend for help. "She says, 'Andy, the doctor's prescribed me the pills. But I know I'm now crazy. I've just lost my will. So why am I, why am I, taking them still?'" In the chorus McMahon cries out for help himself saying, "I need something to believe in, a breath for the breathing.'"Moments of Nostalgia
The hidden track, “Miss California,” portrays itself as somewhat of a sequel to Something Corporate’s “Miss America” off the album “North.” Both songs are about longing for a girl. In “Miss America” she was unavailable because he wasn’t around, and in “Miss California” it was too late because when he was finally there for her she didn’t want him. McMahon plays on the word "miss" in both songs using it as a verb for yearning and a title for the girl. "I missed my Miss America," and "You'll be missed Miss California."
Political Involvement
As of late, with the war in Iraq, many bands have been focusing on political issues, some more heavily than others. Jack's Mannequin takes more of the subtle approach in "The Glass Passenger." Tracks like “Swim” dabble in topics of greed, “You gotta swim for wars without cause, swim for the lost politicians who don't see their greed is a flaw,” while "Suicide Blonde" metaphorically desrcibes the media's impact on the public, "Got my news from the CNN like sheep to the slaughter."
A Reflection of Sentiment
In "Crashing," the opening track that sets the mood for the entire album, McMahon offers fans his view on what could happen if he would give up the fight and let cancer win. "And even if your voice comes back again, maybe there'll be no one listening, and even if I find the strength to stand doesn't mean I won't go missing. And the world will come crashing down on me." McMahon’s personal struggles in life have pushed him into more of a serious tone with his work. His life is reflected in his music giving this album a sentimental touch.
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