I’ve often found that my favorite records are those that aren’t instantly catchy – the discs that grow on you are usually the ones that grow to be larger than the quick flavor-of-the-day single that smashes the iTunes charts. Jack’s Mannequin’s new release, “The Glass Passenger,” is just one of those types of albums. Singer/songwriter Andrew McMahon has progressed much since his days as the front-man for the nearly-famous rock/pop band Something Corporate. He has overcome his fight with cancer, started Jack’s Mannequin and become one of the most respected artists on the music scene. His 2005 Mannequin debut, “Everything in Transit,” has become one of my most beloved records of all time, due to the vulnerability and honesty behind the music. It struck a chord with me, and I found that I could identify with the lyrics.

Now, McMahon is back with “The Glass Passenger,” his follow-up to “Transit.” On first listen, I had a hard time putting comparisons to “Transit” out of my mind, and consequently suffered a slight letdown of my expectations. But after subsequent spins, “The Glass Passenger” just got better and better.

The record begins with the sunny “Crashing,” a standard pop/rock offering with an aptly written verse: “I wanna hear some music” – a sentiment that definitely mirrored my own and should resonate with sentiments of others. The next track, “Spinning,” is probably the most familiar sounding song on the record and would fit right in with the rest of “Everything in Transit.”

But one of the stand-out songs on the record is “Swim.” This song instantly resonated with me, one of the few on the album that did. McMahon sings, “You gotta swim/ swim for your life/ swim for the music that saves you when you’re not so sure you’ll survive.” This first verse is calm, flowing like a river – the calm before the storm. Then the chorus explodes with earnestness, like someone has just fallen into the river and finds “a tidal wave/ begging to tear down the door/ memories like bullets, they fired at me from a gun/ cracking me open now.” But the element of hope rings in the following lines, likely stemming from his successful bout with cancer: “I swim for brighter days despite the absence of sun … I’m not giving in. Swim.” McMahon’s vocals, especially on this song, exude a breathless emotion that is real and honest, unlike the pretentiousness of much of the emo music scene nowadays.

Other songs that stand out are “Suicide Blonde” with its strange key change into the chorus, making you feel like you’re vaulting up with the higher key. “Bloodshot” is also great and, I have to say, is one of the more surprising and experimental sounding tracks on the album. It’s almost as if McMahon is more yelling the lyrics than singing, although the vocalist does stay in tune.

The album ends with its first radio single, “The Resolution,” and “Caves.” The former is the right choice for a lead single at radio; it’s one of the catchier songs on the album, and, while instantly different sounding from “Everything In Transit,” is still very much Jack’s Mannequin. Mainstream radio is also embracing it and it is climbing up the modern rock charts. “Caves” is a brilliant, seven-minute epic that begins vulnerable and quiet. The vocals crack tastefully at some points in the falsetto, but the song picks up speed and strengthens until it has evolved into a full-band opus, only to retreat back into piano-only acoustics, ending as quietly as it began.

“The Glass Passenger” is one of the best albums to come out this year, and although it probably won’t be as instantly accessible as its predecessor, I can assure you that an extra spin or two is all you need to really enjoy it.

To check out Jack’s Mannequin, go to http://www.myspace.com/jacksmannequin or http://www.jacksmannequin.com.