• Got an iPod Touch for Christmas. Very sweet… but no one cares.
• So… for New Years, I started a log of all the albums I have listened to.  Starts January 1st, (hopefully) ends December 31st. If all goes well, I will post each month’s log at the end of every month.
• I am currently discovering that the Beatles’ Abbey Road is one of the best albums of all time.
• Disappointed with Rise Against…
• …and loving Conor Oberst.

I have decided to put up a music update for all the bands on the scene I find interesting, as well as introduce you people to some old but good music essential to today’s world (well, at least for me). So here we go:

• Green Day’s own version of Rock Band is on it’s way for a 2010 release, according to this article. I think it would make a lot more sense to put in a different band with a more extended catalog. I am not asking for freakin’ Rush or anything, just someone older that is still going and has 25 or 30 year going for them. (news found on Absolutepunk.net)
• Switchfoot has been mixing it up on their tour, playing their entire new album, Hello Hurricane, plus mixing in a few old songs from their early years and fan favorites. Is this news? Yeah. It is.
• According to Mark Hoppus’ Twitter page, blink-182 is headed to the studio in January to resume work on their new album before heading out on a European tour in February/March.
• After last week’s bus crash, Rivers Cuomo has been released from the hospital.
• Tom Delonge will release Angels & Airwaves’ new record, Love, for free on Valentines Day through… Facebook? The internet, somehow.

That’s about it. And now… TWO things to end this week’s addition of The Weekly Update.

• I recently purchased Live At Reading, a recording of a 1992 concert buy Nirvana in Reading, England. Sounds great, and this is where I go into a rant about how great of a musician Kurt Cobain was and how there hasn’t been anything like him since. Well, it’s true. Cobain didn’t play that concert for fame, he did it for the love of music. The album was good, a highlight was the band screwing up Smells Like Teen Spirit on purpose because Cobain HATED it. Gotta love that guy.
• I have been interested in Jaco Pastorius lately. Jaco is a bass guitarist that was probably the best bassist that ever lived. There are some pretty sweet videos of him on YouTube, check those out. He isn’t really a rock bassist, he is some sort of jazz bassist. He’s impressive.

1. Forget and Not Slow Down
2. I Don’t Need A Soul
3. Candlelight
4. Flare
5. Part Of It
6. Outro
7. Therapy
8. Over It
9. Sahara
10. Oasis
11. Savannah
12. Baby
13. If You Believe Me
14. This Is The End
15. (If You Want It)

The album features a longer track listing than the band’s last few studio albums but the album has four interludes (short song fragments that act as intros or outros for other songs), which makes that album seem pretty smooth, which is a plus. So…

The album begins with the title track, Forget and Not Slow Down, the band’s first single from the album, which has some of Thiessen’s most clever lyrics yet. Quiet verses, louder choruses, Relient K seems fairly promising so far. The album now slides into I Don’t Need A Soul, which is a pretty laid back song with some noticeably good drumming by Luck. Thiessen does a fairly good job writing and singing, which is a plus. Candlelight has Thiessen all tied up with lyrics about a girl, which may come across as a bit lame at times, but is surprisingly still enjoyable. The first interlude is up next, entitled Flare, which has a great melody, but nothing special because it’s just an outro to Candlelight. It does do some justice to the song though. Part Of It is a pretty decent song, vocally and musically, the lyrics aren’t up to par with the rest of the album though. Outro is an outro to Part Of It, which I absolutely love because it mixes into Part Of It so it seems the song never ended. That’s part of what this album has that I love. Intros and outros are essential if you want to make a good record these days (or at least have songs that mix together well, it can’t just be a 12 or so song mixtape). Therapy provides a piano line that sounds very much like something Andrew McMahon would play behind one of his songs for Jack’s Mannequin. Therapy has some nice singing but I feel the lyrics could use a little work. Over It is pretty stripped down, with an acoustic guitar, piano, and light drumming (and Thiessen’s vocals). It definitely serves it’s purpose on the record, sounds pretty good. Clever lyrics, kudos to you Mr. Thiessen. Ah, here’s refreshing song on the record. Sahara. Pretty guitar driven, fast, and almost alt-pop-punky. The drumming is solid, the lyrics and vocals are spectacular. It makes the middle of the record for sure. Oasis is an into to Savannah, which is just calling out the name “Savannah”, echoing. Savannah (the song itself) is pretty nice, one of the best “love” songs Thiessen has written (that isn’t sarcastic). The drumming is pretty good, just beating on the rim of a snare, but it works for the song. Ethan Luck is doing good. Baby is the outro for Savannah, very short. Not much else to say. If You Believe Me is nothing too special, a little different from the last few tracks, but not too much else to say here either. The last two tracks, This Is the End and (If You Want It), could be combined into one track, it’s the same feel and same lyrics, except (If You Want It) is slower than This Is The End. Nice ending, great lyrics, great feel.

So, musically, this album is nothing special. Lyrically and vocally, this has to be Relient K’s best by far. One of the better records of the year, just enjoyable. Relient K seems to have their sound nearly perfected. If you want to really enjoy these songs, listen to the whole thing, buy the whole thing.

• blink-182, blink-182 – A pop-punk masterpiece.
• Green Day, American Idiot - A more mature side of Green Day and one of the only punk rock operas ever.
• Jack’s Mannequin, Everything In Transit – An album from Andrew McMahon that showcases perfect pop.
• Switchfoot, Nothing Is Sound - Talented alt rockers show their darker side.
• Kings Of Leon, Because Of The Times - Alt rock with a small twist of southern rock. Somehow it makes a great album.
• Audioslave, Audioslave - Former members of Rage plus Chris Cornell of Soundgarden make the perfect supergroup record.
• Angels & Airwaves, I-Empire – Tom Delonge of blink-182 makes yet another great record that is completely underrated
• Blind Pilot, 3 Rounds And A Sound – A folky, acoustic album that makes you hope this band will be around for years to come.
• Fall Out Boy, Folie à Deux – An band overlooked for being too poppy, they prove themselves for those willing to listen.
• Switchfoot, Hello Hurricane - The latest from Switchfoot, going from perfect alt rock songs to perfect pop songs all in the matter of 45 minutes…

1. Needle and Haystack Life
2. Mess Of Me
3. Your Love Is a Song
4. The Sound
5. Enough To Let Me Go
6. Free
7. Hello Hurricane
8. Always
9. Bullet Soul
10. Yet
11. Sing It Out
12. Red Eyes

If I haven’t said this before, I think music is best expressed in FULL ALBUM FORM. Not single song downloads, not as the 3 best songs on an album, but as a full album. That’s how I suggest you get this music. As an album. That’s how I suggest you get all your music, in fact. Music is so much better when you can sit down and take in a band through the known and unknown songs in a journey, however weird that sounds. Hello Hurricane may be the perfect example of how listening to an album in its entirety is so enjoyable.

Hello Hurricane starts out with Needle And Haystack Life, a song which may be one of my favorite songs on the record. Jon Foreman’s vocals are near perfect, there’s a solid bass trying to make itself heard in the background, the guitar is playing pretty solidly, mostly based on the rhythm of the song. The drums on this a pretty great too, some of Chad Butler’s best work yet. This song is as close as Switchfoot has gotten to perfect, one of my favorite new songs Switchfoot has put out. Mess Of Me is a different song for Switchfoot, with a very distorted guitar riff and stop-start music, trading off vocals with instruments. The song is lyrically brilliant, a highlight is the bridge where the guitar is sing the same melody over (or under) Foreman’s vocals. As the first single of the album, it showcases what Switchfoot is doing with this album, which is changing things up a little from their previous albums. Great. Your Love Is a Song is a slower, softer song, really contrasting with Mess Of Me. It starts off with an acoustic verse, which once again makes the listener complete fall in love with Foreman’s lyrics. Maybe a song for a lover or maybe a song for God, the chorus is where this song complete comes alive, where Foreman sings comparing love to a song, hence the title. This song is like nothing Switchfoot has done before, which means I could go either way on this song, but it’s an essential part of the record, it defines what this album is about, just as much as any other song on here. The Sound (John M. Perkins’ Blues) starts off with a guitar riff that is best described as dark and eerie, and Foreman’s vocals in the verse are just about the same way. The chorus leaves a little to be desired, it’s not exactly perfect. the second verse name drops John M. Perkins, a civil rights activist, which is a little piece of trivia for you, I suppose. Compared to the rest of the album, this song leaves a little to be desired, but the song is pretty good. Enough To Let Me Go is where I feel that this album takes a bit of a dive. It starts out with an acoustic guitar, and turns into a quiet song, which doesn’t really fit into the album. I suppose Foreman’s vocals are pretty good, but other than that, this song is pretty bland, but the album reignites in some sorts with Free. Free has a vocal line that reminds me of Black Sabbath’s War Pigs. Yes, I just compared Switchfoot to Ozzy Osborne, but if you listen to the verse of Free and listen to the verse of War Pigs, you will see the similarity in the melody. Interesting. Yeah, so Free has a pretty solid guitar riff that backs most of the song where Foreman is not singing. The bridge is kind of weird considering it doesn’t really fit the songs at first but the transition back into the song goes pretty well. A great part of the album. Hello Hurricane starts out with what I believe is a mandolin, and transitions into the verse, which is pretty unusual for Switchfoot. For the title track of such a great album, I think this song is a little weak. Always starts out with a piano line, which is pretty beautiful, I guess you could say. When Foreman starts to sing, you feel like he is off a beat, but I think it slowly gets back into pace. This is a song the band is very proud of, and rightfully so, it sounds great, it fits in with the record fully. Bullet Soul is the song that Switchfoot uses to test their limits between. It fits in with Mess Of Me and The Sound with it’s guitar riff, but it’s definitely heavier than anything on the album. It’s fairly short, but it’s enjoyable none the less. Yet is a surprise on the album. It’s very mellow, Foreman seems to be torn in two between loss of self confidence and wanting to live and come alive. My only complaint is the bridge, where the music stops and repeats the same line a few times (If it doesn’t break- …if it doesn’t break-), which doesn’t really ruin the song, but it doesn’t help it too much. Sing It Out is one of the most touching songs Foreman has ever written, lyrically. It’s indescribable, if you are going to buy a song from the record, buy this one (but just get the whole album). Red Eyes finishes off the album with hope in some form. The song itself isn’t really too exciting, there are a few good lines Foreman sings, but the ending brings the album to a close with a reprise of Needle And Haystack Life, which sounds GREAT.

In conclusion, this album may be one of the best of it’s decade. Enough said. Drop what you are doing and buy this album, it’s as close to perfect as you can get in the alternative rock genre. If you liked Switchfoot’s previous work (since 2003′s The Beautiful Letdown), this album will definitely be on replay for weeks.

1. New Way To Be Human
2. Incomplete
3. Sooner Or Later (Soren’s Song)
4. Company Car
5. Let That Be Enough
6. Something More (Augustine’s Confession)
7. Only Hope
8. Amy’s Song
9. I Turn Everything Over
10. Under The Floor

After taking a look at the tracks on this album, it doesn’t really look too promising. And here’s a look at the songs:

1. New Way To Be Human starts off the album a little harder than the rest of the album. Foreman uses this song as one of the few actual “praise” songs that Switchfoot has ever done. At first listen, this song is not something you will exactly love.
2. Incomplete is the song on the record when Foreman shines with his lyrics. It is one of Foreman’s many self examining songs that he has written so far and will certainly not be the last. Not too great, but better than the title track.
3. Sooner Or Later is a song “name dropping” one of Foreman’s favorite philosophers, Soren Kierkegaard (click on the name, link to Wikipedia page). It too is an examining of how incomplete life is. Sadly, this song is just as boring as the rest of the songs on this record.
4. Company Car is definitely the best song on this record, mainly because of, once again, Foreman’s songwriting. Musically, this song doesn’t have much going for it, but Foreman really makes the song with the lyrics.
5. Let That Be Enough was both written and recorded on Foreman’s birthday. It is lyrically brilliant, where as the music behind the words does not show much sign of life at all. One of the better songs on here as well though…
6. Something More also name drops another philosopher, the ancient Augustine of Hippo. It is self examining like most of the songs on the record. Also like most songs on the record, it is lacking a lot.
7. Only Hope was Switchfoot’s most popular songs before their 2003 album came out. The reason this song was so popular was because of the film A Walk To Remember. Another “praise” song, but not too great in my opinion. An average song on the record.
8. Amy’s Song is nearly Concrete Girl Part 2 (Concrete Girl comes from Switchfoot’s debut album released two years earlier). Same general theme in the lyrics. Not the same musically though. A disappointment.
9. I Turn Everything Over is a song on the record where you start to grow tired of the record, but at the same time, you keep listening hoping for more. This song has little too offer besides mediocrity. Not too much I can say of this.
10. Under The Floor is the most interesting track on the record, because of the slowness of the song, which makes it actually enjoyable. At the end, there is a radio jingle Switchfoot did for a radio station. It’s kind of random. Yeah.

This record is by no means essential. It’s a record that could easily turn you away from Switchfoot if you haven’t have their records after 2000. If you are going to download any songs on this record, get Company Car. That’s it. It is an important link between old Switchfoot and new Switchfoot, so if you are a hardcore Switchfoot fan, get this. If not, forget about this record.

1. Bomb
2. Chem 6A
3. Underwater
4. Edge Of My Seat
5. Home
6. Might Have Ben Hur
7. Concrete Girl
8. Life And Love And Why
9. You
10. Ode To Chin
11. Don’t Be There

Taking a look at the track listing poses some questions. Number one for most is Might Have Ben Hur. And I guess I can not tell you why they named it that besides the lyrics say “And I though that it might have been her”. I guess it’s a joke thing because of the coincidence that might fit the description of Ben Hur. And what is Chin? You shall see.

1. Bomb starts with a bass line that is pretty sweet, in my opinion. I am a bassist, so I have an ear for those type of things. Jon Foreman proves himself the first song in with his genius lyrics. Musically, I love these bass lines already. Not too much to say besides that.
2. Chem 6A is a song Jon Foreman wrote about this introductory course to chemistry in collage, the very same collage Foreman dropped out of to pursue music. Lyrics about how easy it is to conform are running throughout this song. And there is a pretty cool guitar riff to start this song out.
3. Underwater is another song where I am just loving everything. The bass, the drumming, and the lyrics. It’s pretty interesting to listen to, especially what is being sang. This song is pretty lovable, and may hook you into this record if the previous two didn’t get you yet.
4. Edge Of My Seat is an usually fast and shifting song for Switchfoot. It starts slow, goes into a faster section for a few seconds, then the singing starts, with Forman orally jotting down thoughts (that’s my best description). It is another good song though. Loving Switchfoot now? You better be.
5. Home is a slower song on this record than what we have previously heard. It’s a little bit about where you are and where you want to be. This is a preview of the next two records (in Foreman’s lyrics, that is). It’s a higher point for Foreman on this record, but not so much for the rest of the band.
6. Might Have Ben Hur is scattered much like track 4. Harder, softer, quieter, louder, faster slower. It is a very different Switchfoot song. Not great, but not exactly disappointing.
7. Concrete Girl is one of those songs that you can kind of relate to. It’s about being lost and alone while being a little indifferent to the whole thing. Foreman AGAIN does a killer job on vocals and lyrics. You begin to feel his is wise beyond his years.
8. Life And Love And Why. First off, are those slapped whole notes on bass? I thought so. And this song isn’t a high point on the record, it could be better, but it’s an enjoyable listen if you try and care. It changes drastically throughout. Amazing how a song can start out one way and end another.
9. You is great song about finding something in God. I am not that in to Christian music in the first place, but I do believe in God, and Foreman shows us he is no stranger to the ideas of God and religion. Very relaxing listen.
10. Ode To Chin is crazy. Named for Willis Chin, a friend of The Foot, Chin plays a big part in Switchfoot history. He’s in their videos and he inspired the band’s original name, Chin Up. This song is not one of my favorites. I can’t exactly pin point it. I don’t know.
11. Don’t Be There is a song of desperation in a way. It’s a plead to stay away, but at the same time a longing. It’s one of my favorites on this record, a positive point in Switchfoot’s catalog. Slower, mostly acoustic, and it’s just great.

This album is one of the best debuts I have heard from a band on a small label. It’s a surprise, and a recommended album if you enjoy Switchfoot’s work from 2003 and back. If not, not exactly an essential album. Still good though, but not Switchfoot at their best…

1. Feeling This
2. Obvious
3. I Miss You
4. Violence
5. Stockholm Syndrome
6. Down
7. The Fallen Interlude
8. Go
9. Asthenia
10. Always
11. Easy Target
12. All Of This
13. Here’s Your Letter
14. I’m Lost Without You

At nearly 50 minutes, blink-182′s longest album to date, 2003′s blink-182 is a real surprising album for those who are familiar with the band’s previous work (and concerts, check out The Mark, Tom And Travis Show if you dare). And if you aren’t, you will be surprised by blink’s previous album, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket.

1. Feeling This was the band’s first single on the record, not really for radio, but to kind of show their style and showcase the sound of the record. It has a fast verse and starts with a dizzying drum line, which I think is played entirely on a snare, you can check me on that though. Very good. The chorus is considerably slower than the verse, which pretty much makes the song. Another great thing about this song is that it features Delonge’s vocals on the verses and Hoppus’ on the choruses, a very rare thing for blink-182.
2. Obvious is described by the band as a mix between the Cure and Led Zeppelin and one of their darker songs they have ever written. I am not sure if I quite agree with the part about the Cure and Led Zepp, but it’s pretty dark, musically and lyrically. This song is pretty cool, it rivals Feeling This for sure and is an essential song in the blink catalog.
3. I Miss You is the band’s second biggest song, aside from All The Small Things on 1999′s Enema Of The State. It features the six stringed bass and the acoustic guitar trading off on a small riff, which repeats throughout most of the song. It features Hoppus on vocals for the fist verse, then Delonge does vocals for the rest of it. It’s pretty dark as well, but in a somewhat different way that Obvious.
4. Violence is a weird blink song. It has some of Barker’s most skilled drumming and, in my opinion, some of the better guitars and vocals too. It starts off with some eerie sounds and then the guitar comes in, and finally the drums with a roll on the snare with several accents. It’s pretty sweet, really. It has some of Delonge’s best vocals and lyrics, which is what most love about this song, understandably.
5. Ah, Stockholm Syndrome. One of my favorite songs on the record, because of Hoppus and Delonge’s trade off of vocal lines. It’s short with a strange musical structure, but it may be some of blink’s most talented work yet.
6. Down features a distorted guitar riff. That’s about all you need to know. Down is a song that I once had a love for but kind of lost it along the few years I have had this record. It’s not exactly a strong point in the record, in fact, it’s one of the weakest points on this record. The lyrics are pretty visual for me though, which is a plus. Delonge’s vocals also show through a bit here also.
7. The Fallen Interlude is a song I didn’t like for a while, but after listening to it after a year, I realized it had some of the best drumming Barker has ever done. It’s entirely instrumental (there as some weird vocals that are repeated over and over, but it doesn’t exactly count as a song with vocals). It’s not my favorite song on the record, but it’s worth a listen in the last minute to hear some of Barker’s most solid drumming yet.
8. GO. Hoppus sings the song well. He can lay down to fast vocals the best sometimes. As said best by Tom Delonge, “This song deserves to be played LOUD.” Exactly.
9. Asthenia is a song Delonge really wanted on this record. He liked it because he had always loves outer space and this is a song about an astronaut. Unfortunately, I feel this song fails. I don’t know exactly why, but it lost me sometime around the middle of the intro with the NASA transmissions. It is boring. I have no other way to put it.
10. Always is another single from the album, and maybe on of the best singles on the record. It starts with Barker hitting the rims of a snare with his stick, which is crazy fast and crazy detailed and accented. I have not idea how this man does it. Delonge sings pretty desperately about love on this song, which I am actually okay with in this case. And Hoppus is playing DOUBLE-STOPS on BASS! (sorry, I love the bass guitar, deal with it)
11. Easy Target is one of the faster, harder songs on the record. Not like headbanging of any sort, but just something that will get your foot tapping. Delonge sings the verses and Hoppus the choruses. Leads right in to the next song, which features an unlikely guest…
12. All Of This, most surprisingly is all acoustic. Actually, most surprisingly, features Robert Smith of the emo-rock band, The Cure. He sings most of this song, placing what I am guessing Hoppus would normally sing. It’s kind of sweet to hear a third voice in a record, which makes this song interesting.
13. Here’s Your Letter is another one of my favorites on this record. Hoppus sings this one solo, no hints of Delonge at all. Which, I guess, is a good thing. Hoppus really lays down the bass on this. Not like in a funk groove type thing, but in a punky eighth notes type thing.
14. I’m Lost Without You is not a song I am too into. It’s slow and random. It gets fast, but it never gets intense or great or anything. The best part of this song is the ending. Not the END end, but the drum solo at the end. It’s two played on top of each other, which sounds INSANE. They play off one another so it’s like a snare in one ear, then a snare in the other, and it just builds and then the sound ends with a GSRH (BANG!!!!). GREAT.

A great album from start to finish to leave you wondering if you are listening to blink-182. The change is unbelievable. One of my favorite records from this band. 2010 should show fans another blink record and if it’s anything like this, it won’t disappoint one bit. Recommended.

Everything In Transit has a lot more of a presence of pop than McMahon’s work with Something Corporate, a lot more piano and a lot less guitar. The songs on the album are just as genius musically as they are lyrically. Before I get any further, here is the track listing:

1. Holiday From Real
2. The Mixed Tape
3. Bruised
4. I’m Ready
5. La La Lie
6. Dark Blue
7. Miss Delaney
8. Kill The Messenger
9. Rescued
10. MFEO Part 1 – Made For Each Other, Part 2 – You Can Breathe
11. Into The Airwaves

1. This album has one of the best opening tracks ever written. Holiday From Real is a pleasant song that just brings a smile on your face when putting on this record. It reminds you of summer from the 30 seconds on to the very end of the song. It’s just perfect. But there is a very grave side to this song. The opening line, “She thinks I’m much too thin, she asks me if I’m sick…”, and knowing he wrote this before he got sick, it’s a very real thing. It’s interesting.
2. The Mixed Tape is one of the two clear singles written for the album. It’s got a guitar-driven verse, unlike the usual piano lines used in this album. There is really nothing to say about this song, but it was written about the mix tape McMahon gave his girlfriend, hence the title The Mixed Tape and the lyrics “This is my mixed tape for her”. A great song.
3. Bruised is a well sung track. I have to give McMahon that. The lyrics are equally great, written about being on a plane (as weird as it sounds, it’s good). This is a song McMahon’s piano line shines, although it is subtle, I am appreciative of it.
4. I’m Ready has a very weirdly sung chorus. McMahon’s voice is all over the place. A good song though, a highlight of the album (?).
5. La La Lie is another song where McMahon talks about being sick. It is subtle, but there. I’m not sure what to think of this song. It is another highlight of the album, not too much to say here though. Solid song.
6. Dark Blue. The single. If anyone has heard of Jack’s Mannequin, it’s this song they know. Relatively weak because of the first five amazing tracks, but good none the less.
7. Miss Delaney is one song on the album that I feel isn’t up to par with the rest. It is a lot different, an electric feel on the verse, a pop feel on the chorus, it just doesn’t work out for me. You decide.
8. Kill The Messenger is a mellow, laid back song. One of the few on the album. Strange for McMahon (is that a sitar?!), but this song is pretty good. Another highlight.
9. Rescued. The slowest song on the album, but yet again, another highlight. McMahon is so consistent. How awesome is that?
10. MFEO is weird. It should be two songs, but it isn’t I will review it in parts. Made For Each Other is an alright song, talking about love and all that stuff. Nothing to special, but an interesting addition to the Jack’s Mannequin’s catalog. You Can Breathe showcases Tommy Lee’s versatility as a drummer here, a lot more than McMahon does with his songwriting in this particular song. It’s more like an extended bridge for Made For Each Other. Interesting but not exactly my recommendation. At the very end of this is McMahon saying “goodbye” like it’s the end of his journey though the album. Interesting.
11. Into The Airwaves leaves me with nothing to say. It’s not good or bad. It’s completely average. Sorry world.

This is one of my favorite albums ever. McMahon really proves himself here. The talent on here is almost unbelievable. Everything In Transit is my favorite album of 2005 and up for debate as my favorite album of the decade. I recommend it if you are a fan of pop-punk or alt rock. Not bad at all. Download the whole album and listen to it from start to finish. It’s a pop masterpiece. It’s available just about everywhere. Go get it now.

Before I review this movie, let me give you a brief history on Andrew McMahon. McMahon is a musical genius, I’ll put it at that. Former singer/pianist for the pop-punk So-Cal band Something Corporate and current singer/pianist for his “solo” project, Jack’s Mannequin, McMahon is fairly familiar with the music scene. McMahon has released just four major albums in his career as a musician, his first album, Something Corporate’s Leaving Through The Window, and his latest album with Jack’s Mannequin, titled The Glass Passenger. McMahon has been playing piano since childhood and sites his musical influence as anything from Ben Folds to the genre of Southern California pop-punk. In the height of Andrew McMahon’s career with Something Corporate, McMahon decided to leave his punk roots behind, abandoning his band for a solo project, later to be known as Jack’s Mannequin. McMahon just finished mixed his first album as Jack’s Mannequin (Everything In Transit) when he was diagnosed with leukemia. He released the record as scheduled, but did not tour to promote it since he was being treated for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). And that is where this story begins.

Dear Jack is a film about Andrew McMahon’s struggle with cancer. It is shot almost entirely with a small video camera, which McMahon was given to record the making of his solo album. McMahon documents most of his treatments, complications, and other tid-bits of his treatment for cancer. Andrew McMahon ends up beating his cancer, thanks to a bone marrow transplant form his sister, Katie, on the same day Everything In Transit was released. McMahon has not come close to forgetting about being in the hospital rooms, being hooked up to the machines, and having to take drugs to make him well. The documentary almost does the same thing for the viewer. It is definitely a movie that stays with the viewer after the film is over. McMahon shows in this movie he is a fighter and, more importantly, a dedicated and talented musician, which McMahon believes made him live through his experience with leukemia.

I guess the best way to wrap this up is to say that this film gives you a better idea of who Andrew McMahon is, what leukemia is, and it gives the viewer something to think about. It’s inspiring, it’s just a great film. This film is well worth the 10 dollars to download the album off iTunes. You can buy Dear Jack at Jack’s Mannequin’s online store ($20, physical copy) or off iTunes ($10, download). The film runs a little over an hour (about 1:07)

DEAR JACK – EP

To go with Dear Jack, an EP was also released, titled Dear Jack – EP. The EP includes the following four songs:

1. Dear Jack
2. Diane, The Skyscraper
3. There, There Katie
4. Swim (Music Box)

All these songs have been played live for a few years now, but had not been released officially until now. In my opinion, these songs are not a great showcase of Andrew McMahon’s talent. All these songs were wrote or have something to deal with McMahon’s cancer diagnosis, which is why these songs are out with the film in the first place.

The best song on this EP by far is There, There Katie, which is a song written for McMahon’s sister who gave McMahon the bone marrow transplant that saved his life. The rest of these songs are not too notable, but it is important to know the history behind the song Dear Jack. Dear Jack was the first song McMahon wrote as a solo artist/Jack’s Mannequin. It is why Jack’s Mannequin has its name, named after McMahon’s friend’s brother, Jack, who was diagnosed with leukemia at a young age. The irony of the song is that McMahon wrote about this before his diagnosis of leukemia. Another thing to add is that Swim (Music Box) is a slower, more stripped version of the song Swim, originally on Jack’s Mannequin’s The Glass Passenger.

My thoughts on this EP is that there is nothing too great on here. There are a few moments where McMahon spills his emotions (parts of Dear Jack, Swim, and There, There Katie). Diehard fans will probably want this, but for the casual listener, this is an EP to easily forget. You can get this EP exclusively of iTunes (digital, $3.96)