Marcy Playground: Shapeshifter : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

If you wagered that Marcy Playground would be a one-hit wonder, you're in for a disappointment: The bouncy "It's Saturday," from the trio's second album, Shapeshifter, is a ready-made hit that sounds nothing like 1997's ambling "Sex and Candy." Unfortunately, beyond that, Shapeshifter is a virtual replica of its debut. Rather than build on the promise of Marcy Playground's amateurish fun, the boys cling too tightly to watered-down grunge riffs. And frontman John Wozniak still tries too hard to sound quirky on precious tracks like "Secret Squirrel" and "Pigeon Farm." Awkward as those moments are, they do hint at a willingness to tiptoe outside the lines of rote alterna-rock. If the band had applied a bit of that tweaked sensibility to Shapeshifter, it might be on to something. (RS 826)

JENNY ELISCU