The Glass Passenger

The Glass Passenger is the second studio album by American rock band Jack's Mannequin, released through Sire Records on September 30, 2008 in the United States. It is the band's first studio album on Sire Records after Everything in Transit (2005) was released through Maverick Records. Sire released two of the album's new songs on the extended play (EP) The Ghost Overground, on August 5, 2008, including "The Resolution", the album's first single.

Lead singer Andrew McMahon was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2005, on the day the band finished mastering the last song for their debut album. The band didn't return to playing shows until the end of that year, and didn't begin writing until after the summer of 2007. The Glass Passenger was produced by Andrew McMahon and Jim Wirt, co-produced and recorded by CJ Eiriksson with additional Production by Bobby "Raw" Anderson and additional engineering by Max Coane. It was mixed by Chris Lord-Alge. It experienced a series of delays, originally being given a tentative April 2008 release, then being pushed back five months to the end of September.

Background
Jack's Mannequin's debut album Everything in Transit was released in August 2005 through major label Maverick Records. A few months before its release, frontman Andrew McMahon was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and spent several months receiving chemotherapy for his disease. Due to getting sick, his focus shifted from writing new music to getting better. Jack's Mannequin played its first concert since the diagnosis in December of that year, and the band began several tours over the next two years, both supporting the likes of O.A.R. and Panic! at the Disco in 2006 and also headlining shows, including Tour for a Cure and the West Coast Winter Tour. With the touring cycle for Everything in Transit finishing in March 2007, McMahon began writing new material, though he was unsure if it would be for Jack's Mannequin or Something Corporate.

McMahon had waited until he was well-recovered before he started the writing. Soon afterwards, he went through a period of writer's block after being unable to convey his illness through the songs. Around this time, he was working on Treaty of Paris' debut album Sweet Dreams, Sucker for his label Airport Tapes and Records. After writing "Crashin", McMahon wrote a lot more material; the majority of the songs that would appear on the next record were written following summer. Though, a few tracks were written slightly earlier, such as "What Gets You Off" in July. The band had planned to tour in October, however, due to the constant touring over the preceding 14 months, McMahon suffered mental exhaustion and physical fatigue. The dates were subsequently cancelled as a result. New batches of songs were written in October and November.

Recording
McMahon re-used his production team, which was made up of Jim Wirt and CJ Eiriksson, from the Everything in Transit sessions. McMahon's wanted to make a "very organic" and "natural-sounding" album that stood apart from a few of the "more digital approaches" when recording music. The sessions marked the first time McMahon worked in the studio with his backing band, which consisted of guitarist Bobby Anderson, bassist Jon Sullivan and drummer Jay McMillan. McMahon mentioned that the studio dynamic changed slightly with having his band in the studio, giving it a more familiar feeling.

Wanting to have the album "feel played", as opposed to "chopped up and doctored", a lot of ideas were shared between everyone in the studio, which was six or seven people at any given time. McMahon had some trouble with his label Sire/Warner Bros. Records, who were in the process of internal changes, such as being unsure who he was supposed to show his music to, and who was in charge of the recording budget, among others. On some occasions, the recording process was halted until things had settled with his label. Most of the recording was done by December; additional vocals and overdubs were tracked later that month. The album was mixed in January.

Composition
The album's title The Glass Passenger is taken from "Hey Hey Hey (We're All Gonna Die)", a track that was written early in the writing process. It ultimately wasn't recorded for the album, but did appear on the band's next album People and Things (2011). McMahon said it was symbolic of his fragile state in the days leading up to his diagnosis. McMahon wanted to avoid writing "the cancer record", preferring instead to tackle other themes that had appeared in his life. The most common theme is being able to find "light in the struggle [of getting through life]". The material mainly detailed the aftermath and post-recovery from his illness, coupled with his new-found perspective of the world.

"Crashin" is about having writer's block and being able to get through it. "Annie Use Your Telescope" initially last for two-and-a-half minutes, until it was extended at the suggestion of Wirt. McMahon said "Bloodshot" is a character study of other people than himself. "Caves" is a three-part track that talks about McMahon's battle with cancer. Each of the verses was about a different occasion while he was in hospital. The second half of it address the aftermath of him leaving hospital. McMahon came up with the song's piano hook after hearing it in his head at 2am. He got up, went to his piano and started writing the track. He had tried to avoid writing the song as he "wasn't sure [he] wanted to live it again". The song was named after the rehearsal space he wrote it in. "Cell Phone" is an outtake from the Everything in Transit sessions. It was tracked at the end of those sessions, but was left unfinished at the time.

Release
In December 2007, the title of Jack's Mannequin's next album was announced: The Glass Passenger. Later that month, McMahon said the album was expected to be released April/May 2008 time. On January 30, 2008, it was announced that the band had signed to Sire Records; the group were moved to Sire by Warner Bros. after Maverick Records folded. In February 2008, the band went on a US college tour. On February 25, the album was announced for release on April 22; the release was eventually pushed back. In late May, the band performed at The Bamboozle festival. Following this, AbsolutePunk reported on June 3 that the album had been mixed, and was in the process of being mastered in New York. In July, the band performed on the Warped Tour. During that month, McMahon told the Montclair State University student newspaper that the release date would be moved to late August or early September 2008. On July 18, the album's final release date was given for September 30. In July and August, the band supported Paramore on their headlining US tour. On July 28, the album's track listing and artwork was revealed. "The Resolution" was posted on the group's Myspace profile on August 4.

On August 5, an EP titled The Ghost Overground was released exclusively on iTunes. It contains two new songs "The Resolution" and "Bloodshot", and live versions of "Kill the Messenger" and "Holiday from Real". "The Resolution" was released to radio on August 19. A music video was filmed for "The Resolution" in early September. McMahon was combing through video treatments, while having seen some positive ones, but felt nothing stood out. After speaking with someone at his label, who proposed thinking outside of simply approaching video directors, McMahon suggested author Stephenie Meyer. Meyer was previously a fan of McMahon's work, even going as far to name him as an inspiration for her own work. The group contacted her and ask if she would be interested. She had no prior experience directing, and collaborated with co-director Noble Jones. Meyer's treatment came about after examining the song's lyrics. When Jones heard the treatment would cost more than their budget allowed, he made a few adjustments. Following this, she re-watched music videos she loved to get a sense of style, namely the videos for OK Go's "Here It Goes Again", Brand New's "Sic Transit Gloria... Glory Fades" and My Chemical Romance's "Helena". The video was filmed over a 14-hour period off the Pacific Coast Highway, and required three set pieces – an ocean, a desert and a mountaintop.

A new EP entitled In Valleys, also an iTunes exclusive, was released on September 9. It included "Swim", "Cell Phone", "In Slow Motion (Sleazy Wednesday)" and "At Full Speed". On September 11, "Annie Use Your Telescope" was posted online. A third EP, The Resolution EP, was released on September 23 as a Verizon and Rhapsody exclusive. The EP includes the songs "The Resolution", "Annie Use Your Telescope" and an acoustic version of "The Resolution". The music video for "The Resolution" was released on September 29. It features McMahon performing the track, before being lured into the sea by the siren call of a mermaid. He attempts to resist, but ends up in the ocean. The Glass Passenger was made available for streaming and released through Sire and Warner Bros. Records on September 30. The Australian iTunes edition features all songs from the EPs, except for "Doris Day". Some copies came with a DVD, which included a conceptual short film "Choke, California", directed by James Minchin III. Fans that pre-ordered the album at The Bamboozle festival were given a lithograph, a digital download copy of the album, and a photobook.

In October and November, the band went on a club tour in the US titled Hammers and Strings: An Evening with Jack's Mannequin and The Glass Passenger. During the tour, the band performed The Glass Passenger in its entirety. The band was supported Eric Hutshinson, Fun and Treaty of Paris on select dates. In January 2009, the band performed a few shows in Japan, before appearing at Soundwave festival in Australia in February and March. Following this, the band performed two shows in both Germany and the UK. The band then embarked on a tour of the US in April and May. Dubbed the Father from the Earth tour, the band was supported by Matt Nathanson, Low vs Diamond and Erin McCarley. Prior to the tour taking place, a number of dates in both April and May were cancelled initially without reason.

Shortly afterwards, the band issued a statement where they mentioned they received a tour offer from the Fray. McMahon said he was "very interested but had not wanted to reschedule shows" as presale tickets had been sold. However, when he became aware that Jack's Mannequin would be given a 60-minute support slot, it "gave [him] solace in the midst of a difficult decision." The shows that were cancelled would be rescheduled sometime in the fall. In late May, the band said they were looking for original fanart to include in the music video for "Swim", which was filmed the following month with director Steven Murashige. It was released on June 11. McMahon said he wanted the video to be about the human condition in general, rather than his own. Incorporating the fan art, the clip was turned into a "universal meditation on hope and perseverance." Between mid-June and early August, the band toured with the Fray across the US. In October, McMahon went on a solo US tour. The band embarked on a headlining US tour in February and March with support from Fun and Vendera. Following this, a deluxe edition of the album was released on March 23, featuring the whole album, the In Valleys and The Ghost Underground EPs, along with additional live tracks and footage from touring.

Reception
The album debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200, moving 49,000 units in its first week.

Personnel

 * Andrew McMahon – vocals, piano, keyboards, B3, kazoo, stomps/claps, accordion, glockenspiel, wine glasses on "Cell Phone"
 * Bobby "Raw" Anderson – guitar, background vocals, kazoo, wine glasses on "Cell Phone"
 * Jay McMillan – drums, stomps/claps,
 * Jonathan Sullivan – bass, talk box, contrabass, stomps/claps
 * CJ Eriksson – drums, programming, percussion, backing vocals on "Sleazy Wednesday"
 * Stacy Clark – background vocals on "Crashin'" and "Spinning"
 * Jim Wirt – background vocals, bass solo on "American Love", kazoo
 * P.J. Smith – background vocals
 * Patrick Warren – bells, keyboards, additional arrangements, chamberlain, pump organ, effects for "Caves"
 * Max Coane – additional percussion, programming
 * Grooveline Horns – horn arrangement for "American Love"
 * Carlos Sosa – saxophone on "American Love"
 * Fernando Castillo – trumpet on "American Love"
 * Raul Vallejo – trombone on "American Love"
 * Aaron Dixon – additional guitar on "Orphans"
 * Chris Rezanson – sound effects for "Sleazy Wednesday"