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The Glass Passenger

EMAILPRINTby Jack's Mannequin

Jack's Mannequin reviews
63
8.7 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 7 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 23 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >

Album Info

Label: Sire

Release Date: 30 September 2008

Discs: 1 disc

Genre(s): Rock, Alternative

Summary

The sophomore album for the rock band started by Something Corporate's Andrew McMahon.

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

90

Alternative Press

Even if McMahon's inspiration (lyrical and otherwise) are transparent on Passenger, the execution of his influences is impeccable. [Oct 2008, p.147]

70

Rolling Stone

With plain-spoken songs like these, he's already made a more honest album than many of his emo peers.

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60

Spin

The Glass Passenger, the group's second album, chronicles McMahon's successful battle against leukemia, matching hyperemotional melodies with his tender voice on dramatic tracks.

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60

All Music Guide

The Glass Passenger might not bare the same pop hooks as "Everything in Transit," but it does stay afloat under the weight of McMahon's past, which bodes well for the songwriter's future work.

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58

Entertainment Weekly

Jack's Mannequin frontman Andrew McMahon sticks to his formula of friendly piano and new-wave-influenced beats on his second album.

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50

PopMatters

Perhaps if these songs were served with a helping of irony, it would be easier to swallow, but as it is, The Glass Passenger crumbles under its own weight, largely due to the fact that McMahon is no longer writing songs just for fun the fun of it.

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40

Q Magazine

While his big, piano-led MOR tunes are launched from a good place, they land in a fairly awful one. [Apr 2009, p.105]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 23 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Matt S. gave it a10:
Amazing. How anyone could say anything else is crazy and plain wrong. Andrew McMahon shows off his matured songwriting and arranging skills in every single song. Absolutely a fresh breath of air in today's stagnant music scene.

Amanda B. gave it a10:
If I could vote more than 10 i would..Andrew is amazing. The Glass Passenger is one of the best albums I have ever heard. I don't know what the guy who said it's terrible is thinking. Dumbass.

Hannah R gave it a10:
Amazing, really listening to the lyrics of the song you totally get exactly what he went through.

Joseph C. gave it a10:
Amazing. Some of the best music I've heard in a very long time. Buy this if you get the time and money.

Brian B. gave it a10:
The hooks aren't as poppy but the message is stronger.

Lee R. gave it a10:
Inspiring. amazing. smart. soft. its just perfect. i think he smacked the sophomore slump in the face, and made an amazing piece of work.

Josh J. gave it a7:
It starts off fair enough, but Crashin' has a problem with not ending when it should have. Spinin' is probably the stand out track of the whole album. Lyrically swim is too obvious, and melody is almost too mellow. If you're not paying attention, you'll fall asleep. American Love is a decent song. It grows on you, but fist listen it just passes on by. What gets you off again just passes you by. It's a recurring theme of the album. Suicide blond is fun, a bit more uptempo than the previous 3 songs, but not enough to salvage what seems to be a lacking middle section of the album. Annie use your telescope is a fantastic song to sing to, and has a great melody. Unfortunately the lyrics are far too vague. From there the album picks up a bit, the tempo is still down from previous works by Andrew. Then, you find yourself listening to Andrew force a horrible falsetto in Caves. Starts off horrible. It picks up a bit, but not really enough to be the statement song of the album he wants it to be. Miss. California is nothing but pure pop fluff, and I personally loved it. Overall, it's a 7. The middle lacks alot, but if you listen to it enough it really grows on you. If you've been following Andrew's career from his days in Something Corporate, you really miss the old sound, but this new stuff is a breath of fresh air. Unfortunately it didn't quite fit as well as he probably hoped it would.

Read more user comments >

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