double whammy! - Jack's Mannequin

Good morning Kharmonious readers! Thanks for all the recent comments. This post is more of a "have you heard" for Jack's Mannequin, but it's also a "double whammy" because I'll touch on both of their albums, Everything in Transit (2005) and The Glass Passenger (2008).

I first heard Jack's Mannequin on Pandora (I don't remember which station it was on, maybe Muse? They both use pianos... :/). It was their single "Dark Blue" and I was hooked (probably because of the piano - I still love the way the piano and drums bounce off one another with alternate beats). I picked up Everything in Transit soon after and recently The Glass Passenger. I would highly recommend both albums for fans of piano-driven alt-rock with a hint of punk. To this day, I think Jack's Mannequin is the best band Pandora has introduced me to, which speaks very well of the band, and maybe not so well for Pandora :/.

Jack's Mannequin is a four-member band from Los Angeles, California and is relatively new; they formed in 2004. Founding member, pianist and vocalist, Andrew McMahon was in the band Something Corporate before forming Jack's Mannequin, the name which he said was the combination of a song title "Dear Jack" and a band name idea "Black Mannequins". From the very limited amount of Something Corporate I've heard, I think Jack's Mannequin's sound is cleaner and striped of some of the feedback; less guitar and more piano. Something Corporate fans call me out if I'm way off track. It also sounds to me like Andrew McMahon's vocals take more prominence in Jack's Mannequin and the backup vocals are more background.

I think my favorite part about Jack's Mannequin is the energy they bring to each of their songs, even the ones with moderate and slower tempos (see "Rescued" and "Swim"). The talent of drummer Jay McMillan is imperative here, as he keeps the songs from sounding all alike or typical alt-rock. The piano Andrew plays is beautiful too, I have no clue how they recorded it, but it sounds fantastic on both albums (it's never drowned out by other instruments, which happens too often in rock bands, and even the bass notes come through clearly). Of the two albums, my favorite is Everything in Transit which includes "Dark Blue", "Bruised", "I'm Ready", "Rescued" and "Holiday from Real" (<-- one of my favorite Jack's Mannequin songs). The Glass Passenger isn't shabby though, my picks from it would include "Spinning", "Swim", "Annie Use Your Telescope" and "Caves". In my opinion, Everything in Transit is simply a more consistent album, but both have been enjoyable additions to my collection.

*Jack's Mannequin is coming to Spokane tomorrow at the INB Performing Arts Center with the Fray, however, I will be absent, as I don't have the dough to shell out $45 to see the Fray again... :(

RIYL: Something Corporate (?), The Fray, Jimmy Eat World, Relient K
Fave tracks from Everything in Transit: "Dark Blue", "Holiday from Real", "I'm Ready"
Fave tracks from The Glass Passenger: "Swim", "Spinning", "Caves"

Swim - Jacks Mannequin