MP3

Marcy Playground

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 23, 2004)
• Original Release Date: March 23, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Reality Ent.
• ASIN: B0001L3LPY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #89,734 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
A half-decade after their pair of late 90's major label albums suffered an all too familiar fate (promising debut; sophomore jinx) singer/songwriter Steve Wozniak and Marcy Playground have mounted a game, indie comeback attempt here. But it's also an ironic one that largely fulfills the band's original post-grunge pop promise, albeit a bit after that parade has past. During an era when many a modern rock band have made sharp U-turns into the 80's (or in some cases, the 70's) for their inspirational jangle 'n' crunch, Wozniak and company (original MP bassist Dylan Keefe, new drummer Gonzalo Martinez) have stubbornly refined and focused their original sound on standouts like the Nirvana-channeling "Blood in Alphabet Soup" and "Sleepy Eyes," "Hotter Than the Sun's" cautionary, autobiographical musings and the thrash-pop irony of "Punk Rock Superstar." Woz's droll, expressive vocals reflect a lost innocence that's bittersweet and all too familiar, wed to a musical sense that's stubbornly true to itself, third wave of de rigeur garage rock wannabes be damned. -- Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They are truly diamonds in the rough, September 30, 2004

By	Kirstin I. Seube "AKirstin" (Alaska) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There are precious few bands out there with such unique, amazing, highly developed style as Marcy Playground. This, their third album, has made me just as happy as their first and second (you could actually call it the fourth album, if you're a big enough fan to know about Zog Bogbean). The feel of their music is part joy and silliness, part aching sadness, part magic, and part insanity. It's 100% genuine. The guys are also some of the nicest people I have ever met, and any fan would be lucky to be able to say that about their favourite band, most of whom will not give their fans the time of day. Wozniak's lyricism is poetry in the same vein as Leonard Cohen or Dylan Thomas. Did you know that only 1% of all music that gets played on top 40 radio makes it there because of fan base demand? The rest is shuffled into the mix because record labels have contracts with the stations and must be given representation. Marcy Playground was part of that 1%. They honestly *deserve* to be listened to.

I have read the couple of negative reviews of this album and noticed that they share a common element: ignorance of the subject. Their sound was partially formed in the same town and time as Nirvana, which makes them the genuine article. They are not "ripping off" a sound. There were plenty of bands in the early 90's who had this sound, Nirvana did not make it up on their own. They just happened to be the ones who became famous for it. If you listen to Marcy's older stuff, you can hear the grunge sound there, too. It's part of who they are, musically. If their music doesn't send you flying, that's one thing. But don't scoff and claim that their ripping someone off when you don't really know what you're talking about. It's disrespectful and lazy.

Almost everyone I know who is into Marcy Playground counts them among their top 5 favourite bands, if not their all-time favourite. They're the best!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marcy Playground Is Back!!, March 26, 2004

By	P. Richter "PSRinNJ" (Manville, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Oh, how I've missed these guys! The self-titled debut, as well as Shapeshifter, had some of the best music of this genre. This album picks up right where they left off. While the influence Nirvana had on MP is huge, they were never content to solely rely on it. They do have a tendency, on some songs, to lean heavy on the drama ("Jesse Went To War", "Flag and Finger", "Death of a Cheerleader") but the music is so good, one tends to overlook the cheese. Highlights include "Blood in Alphabet Soup", "Punk Rock Superstar", and the single "Deadly Handsome Man". Also check out "Paper Dolls", which in my opinion is one of the best, most fun, songs they've ever recorded. Love this album immensely. MP, don't ever leave! Everyone else, buy it. You won't be sorry.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Ever., March 25, 2004

By	SupremeSpleen (Derry, Maine) - See all my reviews

After 5 years of dormancy, Marcy Playground comes back with a bang. In the stuffy world of commercial alternative, Marcy Playground is a breath of fresh air. You'll be hooked from the sweeping synths of Spoonfed to the viola solo in Jesse Went to War. When I bought this CD, the first things ALL my friends did after hearing it was ask me to burn them a copy. I chuckled, "Buy your own."
This blows Marcy Playground's first two albums out of the water.
Buy this album, support this amazing group.