I'll Send This Message Through the Speakers

Earlier this year, Ben Fold’s released a relatively serious album in Songs for Silverman (see my review - If You Wrote Me Off, I'd Understand It) thus leaving the smart-alec pop genre without a leader. First out the cannon to try to grab the crown is Jack’s Mannequin. The band is the brainchild of Something Corporate’s keyboard player, Andrew McMahon. Tommy Lee makes appearance on the album paying back McMahon who contributed to Lee’s recently released Tommyland: The Ride (see my review - I'd Rather Play You on My TV).

Musically, Jack’s Mannequin’s debut album, Everything in Transit, sounds like a combination of early Weezer without the loud guitars mixed with The Beach Boys without the harmonies. The album starts off with Holiday From Real, a bouncy song that could fit on any Ben Folds Five album and anthem for any slacker, “But if you left it up to me, everyday would be a holiday from real.” The next song is a topic very close to my heart, The Mixed Tape. For those who are longtime readers, you have noticed my affinity to mix tapes. Unlike McMahon, I can’t write and perform my feelings, but like him, with a mix tape, “It's like I wrote every note with my own fingers.”

To keep with the nerd rock theme, he pulls a talking interlude during I’m Ready just like Nada Surf did in Popular. And I’m Ready brings up interesting social issues too, “I put on the same clothes I wore yesterday. When did society decide that we had to change and wash a tee shirt after every individual use: If it's not dirty, I'm gonna wear it.” Preach on brother McMahon, I’ve been wondering that for years. At the end of the rant he says, “My life has become a boring pop song and everyone's singing along.” There he is wrong, as he is making some the best pop music in a while ands we should all sing along. The best song to sing along to on the album La La Lie, which talks a fun approach to the musical scale that seem to frequent pop songs. Even when MFEO parts 1 & 2 run for eight minutes, the song never seem to drag on at any point.

One misstep is Dark Blue where the chorus doesn’t come together for me. I can’t get into this song just yet. The slowed down Rescued doesn’t quite fit on the album either. It’s not necessarily a bad song, but it sticks out from the other bouncy songs on the album.

Song to Download – The Mixed Tape

Everything in Transit gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.