Entitled “People and Things,” Jack’s Mannequin’s new release discusses just that.  Black cats, cold weather, dreams and people running around are all a part of this album.  

The first song, “My Racing Thoughts” is alright, but does nothing special for me.  I do like a few lines in the song:  “I’ll need all day tomorrow, to recover from today.”

With the second song, I found what I was looking for.  This song makes me want to move, the lyrics are relateable and it is a little more upbeat.  

“Release Me” asks the listener to “release me, take another piece of me, there won’t be another left unless you let go.” I like music that makes me feel something, and this song certainly does.

“Television,” keeps talking about leaving your television on, although it appears to have a deeper meaning.  I feel that this relates to a relationship gone wrong, speaking about “maybe we’re a broken record… we’re making sound, but only for the noise.”

The fourth track is quicker paced, although it discussed never feeling a certain type of cold before.  I like the clever lyrics “waiting but the cold’s got a hold on me, hold on to me.”

“Hey Hey Hey (We’re All Gonna Die)” is a surprisingly upbeat tune.  The lyrics speak of being a “glass passenger,” although I am not quite sure of the meaning.   

The sixth track, “People, Running” is about just that.  The song states that we are all just people running around.  It includes some interesting lines such as “You take your girlfriend to a drug deal, fall in love, and now she wears a diamond ring.”

“Amelia Jean,” interested me only because I share the same, terrible, middle name. It ended up being my favorite track on the album.  I could actually feel some emotion throughout the song. The lyrics “I’ll write you when I know where to begin,” stuck with me.  The lyrics also talk about how he can still feel her when the wind dives down.

“Tore up like your baby blue jeans, I was stepping through a fog,” starts off the eighth track, “Platform Fire.” Those lines and then the ending “I’m a man on a wire, you’re talking me through” were my favorite lyrics from this song.  

Track nine, “Hostage,” is a little different than the previous tracks.  The lyrics speak of not holding you hostage but not setting you free either.  

“Restless Dream,” is a track I enjoyed.  It has a sadder tone, but appears to be honest and true.  

“Guess I’ve missed you from the day that we first met,” is a memorable line. My interpretation of the track is that you will never be a memory, because you’re more like a restless dream.

The 11th and final track of the album is entitled “Casting Lines.” Of all the tracks, I feel like this one really brings it home. It has good lyrics, a quicker pace, it’s upbeat, and I actually believe the emotion behind the words.  

As I said, I enjoy music that makes me feel something. I like lyrics that have a purpose, or that I can relate to.

Ultimately, all of these songs have close to the same sound or vibe to them. If I listened to the album again, it would only be to put on as background music when I study.

Although I think that this may not be the right fit of music for me, it might be just what someone else is looking for.