Sophomore Slump features a comparison of a musician’s first and second albums, as well as a discussion of where those albums fit in their larger discography.

Jack’s Mannequin

After Something Corporate went on an indefinite hiatus, frontman Andrew McMahon kept making music and debuted Jack’s Mannequin, originally intended to be a side project but ultimately became a full band. Their first album, Everything in Transit, was released in 2005. The album’s release was delayed twice—during recording, McMahon began to experience chronic fatigue and laryngitis and was ultimately diagnosed and treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Everything in Transit

Everything in Transit opens with “Holiday from Real,” the perfect example of the whole album’s upbeat piano-rock vibe, followed by “The Mixed Tape,” one of the band’s most popular songs. But it’s the moody “Bruised” that’s my personal favorite, from the slow start to the fast, emotional chorus—and while it’s pretty clearly about a couple being apart, presumably while our narrator is on tour, there’s something about the line “every inch of me is bruised” that makes it the perfect listen when you need to listen to something to work some shit out.

From there, Everything in Transit continues with “I’m Ready,” another standout, and “La La Lie.” The album’s most-played track on Spotify, even more than “The Mixed Tape,” is the lovely “Dark Blue.” That opening piano riff is gorgeous, and it unravels into a beautiful love song. “Have you ever been alone in a crowded room?” is another line that still packs a punch. “Miss Delaney,” however, is underappreciated, as is “Kill the Messenger,” although the latter is admittedly one of the album’s weaker songs. “Rescued” is a fantastic emotional ballad and a nice, slow moment before the album’s ending tracks. The eight-minute delight that is “MFEO” is a joyful celebration of love—the first two-ish minutes are an exciting celebration of the way falling in love with the right person can color your perception of the world, while “Pt. 2: You Can Breathe” feels more intimate. The fading vocals and persistent drum beats six minutes in are incredible. It would be a powerful ending, but Everything in Transit has one last track left, “Into the Airwaves,” with a chorus that’s impossible not to sing along to and more lyrics to get you right in the feels. “So hang on/It’s gonna be a hard day/So hang on/Don’t panic, don’t panic/There simple is no need” may be pretty simple, but they’ve carried me through my fair share of hard days.

The deluxe anniversary reissue also includes some otherwise hard-to-find gems, like “The Lights and Buzz,” the closest McMahon’s ever really come to a Christmas song.

The Glass Passenger

Jack’s Mannequin released their second album, The Glass Passenger, in 2008.

The album starts with “Crashin,” a fast, piano-driven song that gets things off to a strong start, with lyrics touching on McMahon’s fears for his future as a musician: “And even if your voice comes back again/Maybe they’ll be no one listenin’.” The musical pace continues with “Spinning” but slows on “Swim,” with lyrics which are pretty clearly about McMahon’s cancer diagnosis but have also become a sort of anthem for fans, and “What Gets You Off,” a not-so-subtle sexual song.

McMahon’s piano work is front and center, as always, especially on ballads like “Hammers and Strings (A Lullaby),” but “American Love” and “Suicide Blonde” have a more guitar-driven rock feel to them, while “Annie Use Your Telescope” has hints of new wave. The underrated “Bloodshot” makes great use of a little bit of all of this, while “Drop Out - The so Unknown” and “The Resolution” return to proper piano pop, the latter of which is the album’s most famous track and the most triumphant when it comes to McMahon’s diagnosis and the songs addressing it. The album begins to wind down somewhat with the sweet “Orphans,” followed by the eight-minute “Caves,” which starts as a ballad before shifting about halfway through to a mid-tempo rock song. McMahon’s vocals are haunting as he sings about hospital stays and cancer treatments, with stark images like “clicking machines,” “needles in [his] hip,” and a “morphine drip, drip.”

“Caves” would be an incredible ending to The Glass Passenger, but Jack’s Mannequin has one more song for us, “Miss California,” a fun closing song that would’ve also been right at home on Everything in Transit, with its lyrics referencing California and sunshine.

Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year?

Something Corporate is the band for your teens, and Jack’s Mannequin is the band for your 20s (even though Everything in Transit came out when I was in my mid-teens, whatever, that’s not the point). And yes, that means Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness is the McMahon musical iteration for your 30s, complete with songs about having kids, but we’ll get to that—perhaps next month. My point is EiT was on heavy, heavy rotation in my CD player after it came out. I know this album intimately, from beginning to end. I once got in trouble (hi, Mom!) because I changed the computer wallpaper to a fan-made JM one with the lyrics to “Holiday from Real,” including the line, “fuck yeah.” And to this day, “Bruised” still hits like it did the first time I heard it. I lose my damn mind when the man plays it live. I have a core memory of seeing JM live one hot, very sweaty summer night, and when everyone was jumping during the chorus, you could feel the change in air temperature as your feet landed back on the floor. When I think back on my teens and early 20s going to as many shows as possible, those are the ones I remember most fondly, but I digress.

Part of the fun of listening to Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin now, 20 years later (!), is being able to hear the musical progression, especially for McMahon, of course. JM is more piano-heavy, and I mentioned in my discussion of SoCo’s North that some of its songs hinted at the direction JM took. JM is also where McMahon really came into his own as a songwriter—I don’t think he’s ever written a bad song, and there’s certainly no disappointments on Everything in Transit or The Glass Passenger. In some ways, it feels unfair to compare Something Corporate to Jack’s Mannequin, as they’re pretty different musically. But given McMahon’s voice and piano were a major part of both, it also makes sense, and everything about Everything in Transit just sounds more grown-up, even with its very pop sound. It’s fun without being superficial, serious without being melodramatic, and McMahon’s health troubles certainly aren’t evident anywhere in its sound. And the fact that it still holds up is a testament to all of this. It’s a product of the early 2000s, sure, but it doesn’t feel dated.

McMahon went through a lot between Everything in Transit and The Glass Passenger, and that’s conveyed through its lyrics, most obviously “The Resolution.” And while the worries he expresses on “Crashin” are understandable, it’s hard to imagine him doing anything but thriving as a musician. Again, the album is a testament to his writing—while many of the songs are clearly referencing his diagnosis, they still manage to be relatable and applicable to plenty of other life obstacles, and it’s no wonder many of their lines end up emblazoned on McMahon’s merchandise. “Swim” is as relevant as ever, somewhat unfortunately, with lyrics referencing “wars without cause” and “the lost politicians who don’t see their greed as a flaw.” Songs like the intimate “What Gets You Off” make the album feel deeply personal. Like EiT, it also still holds up musically, too.

As partial as I am to Everything in Transit, it’s hard to declare one album as standing clearly above the other—if anything, they’re about even. The only reason The Glass Passenger wasn’t as heavily played was I wasn’t in high school anymore in 2008, which meant my listening habits changed. No more CD player on my school commute. To be honest, I haven’t really been as absorbed in albums as I was then. A morning bus commute was prime time to disappear into an album. But one of the ways TGP stands out is in its instrumentation. The incorporation of more electronics, synthesizers and vocal effects is subtle, allowing the album to explore other sounds while still being distinctly McMahon and JM. And despite being presented as a more collaborative project, TGP especially feels like McMahon’s creative vision.

After The Glass Passenger, Jack’s Mannequin released People and Things in 2011, then McMahon decided to release music under his own name. He’s been releasing and performing music as Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness ever since, save for a few outings with the full JM lineup.

As with Something Corporate, McMahon dusts off plenty of Jack’s Mannequin songs to play live—and he’s sure to do so this summer, when Jack’s Mannequin reunites and goes on tour to celebrate the 20th (again, !!) anniversary of Everything in Transit.

And one of these days, I’ll make it to McMahon’s Holiday from Real cruise, the only cruise I’m willing to go on.