Zombies on Broadway (album)

Vocalist/pianist Andrew McMahon released his debut solo album, under the moniker Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, in October 2014 through independent label Vanguard Records.[1] His single, "Cecilia and the Satellite", was a top 10 hit on the Alternative Songs chart,[2] and became one of the most played tracks of 2016.[3] It performed well on adult album alternative and hot adult contemporary radio stations; "High Dive" had minor success on alternative stations.[4] During time off from touring, McMahon was in New York City at the same time as two writers/producers he had wanted to work with for a while,[5] Gregg Wattenberg and Derek Fuhrmann.[6] In mid-2015,[7] the trio held a writing session, coming up with the track "Fire Escape".[5]

In August 2015, McMahon revealed had been writing a lot of material for his next album and attempting to build a strong group of songs that he could work on following the touring cycle.[8] By December, he was halfway through the writing process for his next album.[9] Later that month, and into January 2016, McMahon's band Jack's Mannequin reformed for an anniversary tour to support their debut album Everything in Transit (2005).[10] By this time, McMahon had four or five unfinished songs for his next album. Following this, he spent February to April writing new material.[11] Around this time, McMahon had been traveling around the country finding a place to record.[12] After learning that a lot of New York-based writers/producers had migrated to Los Angeles,[6] and having had a positive experience writing "Fire Escape", he relocated to New York City.[5]

Recording lasted from May[13] until September.[6] In between sessions, McMahon supported Weezer and Panic! at the Disco on their headlining US tour.[14] He also appeared at various festivals,[15] and performed a series of headlining shows.[16] Most of the album had been written and recorded in New York City in between tours.[17] He was apprehensive about working there as it was where he was diagnosed with leukemia after working on Jack's Mannequin's Everything in Transit. He had planned to make the second Jack's Mannequin album in the city, but "wasn't really in a position of strength" and abandoned that idea. Eventually, he returned to the idea for Zombies on Broadway.[12] He went to New York with a handful of songs and wrote several more before he started recording.[6]

McMahon stayed in a Bedford apartment and took the subway to the recording studio in Times Square.[18] The city's bars remained open until 4:00 am, which "got the best of [McMahon] him", and he subsequently returned home to California to continue working on the album.[12] There McMahon wrote "Brooklyn, You're Killing Me" and "Island Radio",[7] before he returned to New York and came up with five more new songs. McMahon hung out with former Jack's Mannequin's guitarist Bobby Anderson, who lived in the city. McMahon wanted to a guitar solo on one song and invited Anderson to a session.[6] He subsequently tracked guitar for "Shot Out of a Cannon" and "Birthday Song".[19]

Wattenberg and Fuhrmann served as the album's primary producers, while others produced handful of tracks. Tommy English produced "Brooklyn, You're Killing Me" with additional production from Keith Jeffery. CJ Baran, Ben Romans, Wattenberg and Fuhrmann co-produced "So Close". Jonny Coffer, Jake Sinclair, Wattenberg and Fuhrmann co-produced "Don't Speak for Me (True)". Robopop, Wattenberg and Fuhrmann produced "Fire Escape"; English produced "Island Radio".[20]

"Brooklyn, You're Killing Me" and "Island Radio" were recorded at Studio America in Los Angeles, California, with English acting as engineer. "So Close", "Fire Escape", "Dead Man's Dollar", "Shot Out of a Cannon", "Walking in My Sleep", "Love and Great Buildings" and "Birthday Song" were recorded at Arcade Studios in New York City, with engineer Mike Adubato. "Don't Speak for Me (True)" was recorded at Arcade, Play Beats Studios in London, England, and Infrasonic Sound in Los Angeles, with engineers Jerome Williams and Suzy Shinn.[19] John Sinclair mixed most of the recordings, except for "Brooklyn, You're Killing Me", "So Close" and "Fire Escape", which were mixed by Cladius Mittendorfer. Pete Lyman mastered the recordings at Infrasonic Mastering in Echo Park, California.[20]

A lyric video was released for "Fire Escape" on September 8,[34] and a day later as a single.[39] Following this, he played at the Kaaboo festival.[40] On September 26, a music video was released for the song.[6] Directed by Jon Morris and Michael McQuilken,[41] it features two inflatable dancers falling in love in different locations around Brooklyn. The Windmill Factory, which produced the clip, had previously worked on McMahon's stage visuals during performances. The inflatable dancers in the video were created for McMahon's tour with Weezer and Panic! at the Disco. McMahon wanted to show their personalities and come up with a love story between the two inflatables in the video.[6] In October, McMahon supported Bastille at a one-off US show.[42]

On November 10, Zombies on Broadway was announced for release, and the album's artwork was revealed.[43] The cover contains two images of McMahon connected at the center of his face. In the first he is standing in front of a red backdrop; in the second he is wearing a space helmet with the backdrop of the New York City skyline behind him. McMahon's original idea for the cover was based around the album's seventh track "Shot Out of a Cannon" and would have featured a person being fired out of a cannon. Within an hour of booking the flight to this shoot, McMahon's superiors vetoed the idea. Ultimately, he and photographer Brendan Walter rented a studio and shot the final cover with a spacesuit.[44] "Brooklyn, You're Killing Me" was released as a single on November 18.[45] "Walking in My Sleep" was released as a single on December 16,[46] followed by "So Close" on January 6, 2017.[47] On January 23, McMahon performed "Fire Escape" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[48] "Don't Speak for Me (True)" was released as a single on January 27,[49] before the release of Zombies on Broadway on February 10[43] through independent label Vanguard Records.[50] The Japanese edition, released on June 7, features the demos "Throwing Punches" and "Rich Kids with Summer Jobs" as bonus tracks.[51]

Between mid-March and mid-May, McMahon went on the Zombies in America tour across the US with Atlas Genius and Night Riots.[43] McMahon's backing band, dubbed In the Wilderness, consisted of Jack's Mannequin members Jay McMillian on drums and percussion, and Mikey "The Kid" Wagner on bass, guitar, keyboards, percussion and vocals, with Zac Clark on keyboards, vocals and percussion.[20] On May 18, a music video for "So Close" premiered on Billboard's website. The clip sees McMahon performing as an astronaut-wannabe attempting to sell treats on the street. He then gets involved in a love affair with another astronaut-wannabe.[52] Later that month, McMahon embarked on a brief UK tour. He supported Billy Joel for two shows in June and July.[50]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	74/100[53]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[26]
Alternative Press	[30]
The A.V. Club	C[27]
The Breeze	[37]
The Hoya	[28]
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel	Favorable[35]
Melodic	[54]
Rolling Stone Australia	[55]
Sputnikmusic	4.2/5[23]
Substream Magazine	[56]

Zombies on Broadway met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 74, based on four reviews.[53] The Breeze writer Alexis Miller noted that album fluctuated in tempo, "start[ing] off in a fast-paced frenzy, [and] end[ing] at a slower melody". The changing tempos were "well-balanced, making a steady descent from the energetic songs to the more melodic tunes".[37] The Hoya's Rachel Linton said the album was "powered by McMahon’s strong sense of metaphor-based lyricism and catchy rhythms", showcasing his "increased musical ambition".[28] Substream Magazine reviewer Jessica Klinner found it full of "gut-punching, tear-jerking lyrical content and catchy alt-pop melodies". saying writing that it "delivers hit after hit, showing that no matter what style of music McMahon writes, his signature voice always strikes a familiar chord."[56]

Sputnikmusic staff member SowingSeason said it was McMahon's "first album since Everything In Transit that simply explodes with life and energy; whether it’s the enormous pop hooks, the dynamically interwoven verses, or the optimistic lyrics".[23] Annie Zaleksi of Alternative Press said that "[n]ot only does the album overflow with stick-in-your-head hooks, but it also boasts contemporary production, from sleek digital programming to airy synthesizers, to go along with more traditional band-based instrumentation".[30] AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote McMahon was "dedicated to carefully constructed melodies and earnest emotional blood-spilling". Despite the variety of pop styles, "its gleaming surface feels shinier than previous McMahon productions ... these inflections and accents feel like a culmination of craft".[26]

Jon M. Gilbertson of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said "musical theater would suit his prodigious, unleashed energies ... 'Zombies on Broadway,' could be expanded into a pop musical".[35] The A.V. Club's Chris Mincher said that while McMahon "fully throws himself at reminiscence and reflection", he "allows his seasoned songwriting to fall onto an adult-alternative treadmill of formulaic chord-plunking and bombastic choruses that's big on impact and short on invention".[27] Melodic reviewer Johan Wippsson said it was full of "clever pop in a slightly electronic packaging", following "the same path [as the debut]". It "is a very safe delivery that shows that Andrew probably can write great pop songs in his sleep". He called it a "somewhat uneven album" with "some great tracks as well".[54] Rolling Stone Australia reviewer Rod Yates said it "feels interchangeable with much of what's currently on pop radio, with McMahon's personality and soul smothered under a mass of shiny production techniques".[55]

Zombies on Broadway charted at number 43 on the Billboard 200.[57] It also charted on two additional component charts: number five on Alternative Albums,[58] and number 12 on Digital Albums.[59] Outside the US, it reached number 100 on the Australian Albums chart.[60] "Fire Escape" reached number four on Alternative Airplay,[61] number seven on Rock Airplay,[62] and number 21 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs.[63] Outside of the US, it charted at number 37 on the Japan Hot 100.[64] "So Close" reached number 23 on Alternative Airplay,[61] number 39 on Rock Airplay,[62] and number 40 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs.[63]

Credits per sleeve and booklet.[19][20]

Personnel per sleeve and booklet.[19][20]

Citations

Sources