Posts Tagged: augustana

2008 / 3 stars / 5 stars / jack's mannequin / reviews — 1 Comment
3
Sep 08

The Glass Passenger (2008) by Jack’s Mannequin

Jack’s Mannequin
The Glass Passenger
2008, Sire Records
piano rock

I’ve been a fan of Jack’s Mannequin and Something Corporate (frontman Andrew McMahon’s former band) for a while now, but I never expected more than pop-like fun from them. The Glass Passenger not only disabused me of that notion, but it went on to blow my mind.

As you JM fans know, McMahon was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2005, after Everything in Transit was released. He made a full recovery, and then went on to record Glass Passenger with the rest of the band. The result is an album full of heart-wrenching emotion underneath an ironic layer of 80′s-synthpop arrangements.

It was a given that McMahon would include a lot of his experiences with cancer in this album, but his lyrics are more than that. “Hammer and String (A Lullaby),” which is your typical teen angst, also happens to be his updated version of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” – no, it’s not a cover (since “Hammers” talks about ‘punk rock clubs’), but the sentiment and the vocals are very similar. Even the songs that aren’t as serious, such as “Suicide Blonde,” are sung with such desperation that you start to wonder if McMahon is only saying he has a ‘suicide blonde’ by his side, when he really doesn’t and only wishes he had one.

In fact, McMahon’s vocals are the biggest difference in this album when compared to Everything in Transit. His energy from his live shows are legendary and he’s definitely incorporated that into this album – but it also seems as though he just wants to get the words out and could really care less about hitting the perfect notes. So while this album is a far cry from the traditional sound of ‘punk rock,’ the sentiment is (amazingly) still there.

“Hammers and String (A Lullaby),” “The Resolution,” and “Annie Use Your Telescope.”
myspace
Something Corporate’s North, Augustana’s All The Stars and Boulevards

  • Share/Bookmark
2008 / 4 stars / augustana / reviews — 1 Comment
22
May 08

Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt (2008) by Augustana

Genre: roots rock/piano rock
Rating: 4½
Check Out: “Hey Now,” “Twenty Years,” “Rest, Shame, Love,” and “Meet You There.”
myspace

True to form, Augustana’s sophomore album is filled with more depressed love songs. However, there are significant differences between this album and their debut All The Stars And Boulevards.

First of all, Augustana has shed their attempts at alt rock like a threadbare coat, and I couldn’t be more thankful. Instead, they’ve reverted to their country-tinged roots. This move is drastic enough that they will probably alienate some of their old fans and will probably never get serious radio-play.

But the lyrics and arrangements here so honest that most of their truly loyal fans will probably love it anyway. And there lies the second major difference between their debut and Can’t Love – each song tells a specific story instead of a rambling mix of discontent that we saw in All The Stars. There’s an obvious maturity to this album that makes each of its ten songs a precious commodity instead of the negligible waste that most of their debut was.

With this album, Augustana is proving that Americana, with its roots in blues, hillbilly rock, and that trusty acoustic guitar, is making a major comeback in 2008. We’re finally seeing a shift from the electronic ‘nu-metal’-like alternative of the late ’90s and early ’00s. I suppose we could credit this trend to Johnny Cash’s death in 2003, but I really hope there’s more to it than that. If it’s a true love for the genre, as Augustana’s newest album seems to be, then I’m at the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next.

As a final note, did anyone notice that their album cover is eerily similar to Dishwalla’s album art for their sophomore album And You Think You Know What Life’s About?

  • Share/Bookmark
augustana / video — No Comments
21
May 08

Live Performance: “Twenty Years” by Augustana

I only got Augustana’s Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt a couple of days ago, but writing its review was the easiest thing I’ve done since writing my review for Honey From The Tombs by Amy Milan. Trust me, it’s not a bad thing this time around.

This wasn’t Augustana’s first single from the album, but it should have been. I mean, it was already featured on One Tree Hill!

  • Share/Bookmark
← Older Entries
Newer Entries →