Customer Reviews

Mp3

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

This cd is simply amazing. If you are a fan of either of the previous MP albums, I see no reason why you should love this one any less.

All the familar Marcy Playground parts are their. Same voice with great singing, great tunes with some interesting song structures. A few musical embelishments with strings here and there, etc. In short, MP delivers another excellent cd that was worth the wait. As with previous releases, there may be a song or two that takes awhile for you to enjoy, but given time, you probably will.

Yes, there is one short riff in "Blood in Alphabet Soup" that sounds similar to a Nirvana tune, big deal. One riff in an entire cd does not mean they're "copying" Nirvana or going for a "new sound" etc. Try listening to the music first, the entire cd is Marcy Playground through and through.

NOTE: The song "Paper dolls" (track 10) was co-written with Jimmie of Jimmie's Chicken Shack. And the same song can also be found on their new album Re.Present as they both recorded their own version.

Finally, another gem from this greatly underrated band. For those of us that have waited through their label search, they have not let us down. Their nerdy pop/rock is as wonderfully inviting as it was on the two previous albums. I find this to be a very good walking album.
The major highlight for me is "hotter than the sun", a reaction to their brush with fame. "blood in alphabet soup", "rock and roll heroes", "punk rock superstar", "brand new day"........ the whole album is definitely worth your money.

I love Marcy Playground, but even after multiple plays this album is not as good as their previous two. I don't know the make-up of the band enough to know if it is the departure of one of the original three members, or if they are just stuck in a rut (some of the songs almost seem like the same concept, like "Rock and Roll Hero", "Punk Rock Superstar", and other lyrics that make you think of High School). There are a couple great songs here, but also too much fluff that sounds forced in order to fill out an album. Maybe a trip back to Memphis is needed.

Marcy playground is one of my guilty pleasures - I bought a scalped ticket to see them in college on their first tour during all of that 'sex and candy' hubbub. Their greatest virtue and most tragic fault is how fearless they are about their image and songwriting - they are not afraid to be stupid and silly. In their debut and sophomore releases, loopy tunes like 'secret squirrel' and 'saturday' rocked with more pensive songs like 'rebel sodville' or the reflective 'free to be you and me generation'. This is no more evident than on their newest release, 'MP3'. Fantastic rockers like 'Spoonfed' and 'No ones boy' devolve into the nearly insipid 'death of a cheerleader'. As the album progresses, the imagery and metaphors fall into more literal, straightforward lyrics. Having said this, marcy playground still maintain that uncanny ability to keep me listening - I was overjoyed with the news of this release, and haven't stopped listening to it since I got it. Sometimes I don't skip 'death of a cheerleader.' Likewise, 'deadly handsome man' is almost embarrassingly poppy and idiotic, but it is physically addictive! 'Punk rock superstar' and 'Paper dolls' also just make me feel great.

Yes that band! I have to admit that i love Marcy Playground. I don't know why, I just enjoy listening to them. Today i got MP3 I think it may be their strongest album (the first is a classic though). I know there are people out there that saw them for more than just sex and candy, you people should really give this album a listen.

The title, possibly one of the cheesiest titles in the history of music, though i think it is intentional.

If you did listen to Marcy Playground's debut album, you've got a pretty good idea what's in here. They know what worked for them the first time around and really embraced it again. The song craft has improved over the years, and the production is top notch but the playfulness is still present that is one of the things that always separated them from other bands for me I think.

For those of us who enjoy Marcy Playground and have waited too long for their third effort, mp3 is a thrill. Wozniak's perfectly nasal voice is put to great effect on yet another set of songs that range from fun to somber to downright morbid at times, but the band never loses its sense of humor. "Deadly Handsome Man" is the highlight here, another self-deprecating and ironic ode to superficiality. I also loved "Rock and Roll Heroes" and "Death of a Cheerleader". More than any other band, MP manages to hook me on the first listen of each album - there is just an overwhelming sense that these guys are having fun (packaged pop be damned!). It's a shame that great alternative pop like this does not get more attention - it is mellow and fun and all about having a good time. If you enjoyed the first two MP discs, this one will not disappoint. If you didn't, this one probably will not appeal either.

So I saw Marcy Playground live a couple weeks ago and they were awesome so I decided to get the cd. Well, funny thing happened, I picked up MP3 along with the new one by Jimmie's Chicken Shack called re.present yesterday and was amazed to see the same song, Paper Dolls, is on both albums. Apparently it's co-written by Wozniak and Haha from the shack and they each sing a different version on their albums. It is so cool to listen to one and then the other. It makes you realize each band's individuality even more since they each put their own spin on it. How rare is it to buy two great, satisfying cds on the same day? Check out both of these albums if you want to get away from the cookie-cutter junk dominating the airwaves these days.

There's nothing radically different here with MP's latest. Same delightful sound, same great lyrics. If anything's different, it's that this album shows a little more wisdom than the first two. If you're an MP fan, you'll love this album. If you're familiar only with the radio hits, then this album is as good as place to start as any other MP album. Either way, you'll be happy.