Posts Tagged: everything in transit

2004 / 4 stars / june is for women / missy higgins / reviews — No Comments
23
Jun 09

The Sound of White (2004) by Missy Higgins

missy higgins the sound of white

Missy Higgins
The Sound of White
2004, Eleven
piano pop, folk
4½

I came across Missy Higgins through her single “Where I Stood” from her second album. It’s common for me to search for an artist’s first album if I liked their second album, but it’s rare that I then find the first album miles better than the second. The Sound of White is Missy Higgins at her purest, most artistic form. Her voice, her lyrics, and her song arrangements are spotless and infectious to the point where you end up wondering if she could ever outdo herself in consequent albums.

In fact, after hearing her second album, I couldn’t believe it when I heard how prominent the piano is in this album. The lyrics are honest in a way that Andrew McMahon/Jack’s Mannequin fans will enjoy – soul-baring but coy in its subtlety. Her vocalizations are playful and range the blues, pop, soul, and what I like to call “hushed acoustic.” A literal jack-of-all-trades, Higgins’ debut shows her off in a way that American pop producers couldn’t.

“Don’t Ever,” “Unbroken,” “The River.”
myspace, last.fm
Jack’s Mannequin’s Everything in Transit, Sara Bareilles’s Little Voice

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2 stars / 2003 / reviews / the fray — No Comments
19
Feb 09

Reason EP (2003) by The Fray

Reason EP by The Fray

The Fray
Reason EP
2003, independent (no label)
pop rock, piano rock
2½

This debut EP by the now-famous The Fray isn’t much of a gem when compared with their later work. While much of Reason is more Billy Joel-wannabe piano pop than the piano rock they would later become, it featured an attempt at lyricism that was promising even if it didn’t always hit the mark. “Oceans Away,” “Vienna,” (yes the same song on How To Save A Life) and “Without Reason” are probably the three songs that scored this band their strong fanbase and, eventually, their record deal. Get the EP if you want to hear more of the same stuff from their two albums; otherwise, don’t bother.

“Vienna,” “Without Reason,” “Oceans Away.”
last.fm, amazon
The Fray’s How To Save A Life, Jack’s Mannequin’s Everything In Transit

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2005 / 4 stars / jack's mannequin / reviews — No Comments
26
Feb 08

Everything in Transit (2005) by Jack’s Mannequin

Genre: piano rock
Rating:
Check Out: “The Mixed Tape,” “I'm Ready,” “Dark Blue,” “Kill The Messenger,” “Rescued,” and “Into The Airwaves”
website, myspace

Jack's Mannequin is the side-project of Something Corporate's Andrew McMahon. Something Corporate was his 'baby' of sorts ever since he graduated from high school. But once the touring and buzz stopped, once the band decided to take a break, Andrew found himself dazed and quite out of sorts. He ended a three-year relationship (ouch) and started writing songs. He originally planned on keeping those songs to himself, recording them but never selling them. However, once the songs took shape, he found that he had to get them out there. I think I might be eternally grateful that he did so, especially considering that he's my age. If you've heard Something Corporate before, you know that Andrew's voice is very simple – he breaks a bit on high notes, he's very quiet when he hits the low ones, and when he curses, it sounds angelic.

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