Jack's Mannequin

'The Glass Passenger'

SoCal rocker survives personal catastrophe with tuneful flair.

Spin Rating6 of 10

Launched by keyboardist Andrew McMahon when his alt-rock quintet Something Corporate went on hiatus in 2004, Jack's Mannequin isn't a throwaway side project. 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 such as "Swim," where he exclaims, "I'm not giving in!" Some songs feel like generic emo exercises, but the delirious "Caves," a memorable eight-minute meditation on illness and treatment, suggests McMahon has staying power.

By Jon Young

1 Van Halen 'A Different Kind of Truth'
2 Lana Del Rey 'Born to Die'
3 Cloud Nothings 'Attack on Memory'
4 Himanshu 'Nehru Jackets'
5 Kathleen Edwards 'Voyageur'
6 Imperial Teen 'Feel the Sound'
7 Leonard Cohen 'Old Ideas'
8 Skrillex 'Bangarang'
9 Escort 'Escort'
10 First Aid Kit 'The Lion's Roar'

1 Cloud Nothings 'Attack on Memory'
2 Cloud Nothings 'Attack on Memory'
3 Kathleen Edwards 'Voyageur'
4 The Mark Lanegan Band 'Blues Funeral'
5 The Mark Lanegan Band 'Blues Funeral'
6 Leonard Cohen 'Old Ideas'
7 Escort 'Escort'
8 Escort 'Escort'
9 Escort 'Escort'
10 Himanshu 'Nehru Jackets'

Jack's Mannequin

'The Glass Passenger'

The Mark Lanegan Band 'Blues Funeral'

Of Montreal 'Paralytic Stalks'

Van Halen 'A Different Kind of Truth'

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