Everything in Transit (Jack's Mannequin)

So, I thought I was a Something Corporate fan. Turns out I'm an Andrew McMahon fan.

I've been waiting for Everything in Transit, the debut album from Jack's Mannequin, since I heard "Holiday From Real" on Andy Langer's Next Big Thing this summer.

I already had a Something Corporate's North (I really like "Break Myself" & "I Won't Make You") and Leaving Through The Window (which is actually my favorite of the two -- "Punk Rock Princess"; "I Woke Up In a Car"; "I Want To Save You" could be my personal anthem; I'm still singing "If You C Jordan" about certain high school folks; and then there's "Cavanaugh Park" and "Straw Dog" and ...).

And then I heard "Holiday From Real": "But if you left it up to me \ Everyday would be \ A holiday from real ..."

And then I got the album, and things like "Dark "Blue" ("Have you ever been alone in a crowded room when I'm here with you ...") and "Into the Airwaves" ("I'll send this message through the speakers \ They told me that you moved \ I'll cross this country on a frequency ...").

And McMahon was diagnosed with Acute Lymphatic Leukemia in June, and was treated through the summer, had a stem cell transplant from his sister, contracted a hospital-borne virus, is now on the painful mend, Everything in Transit still shipped -- and he blogged about the whole thing.

Check it out on www.jacksmannequin.blogs.com.

And you can listen to "The Mixed Tape", "Dark Blue", "Bruised", and "Miss Delaney" on the Jack's Mannequin myspace.com.