Marcy Playground: straight out of New York and into the rock scene. They made a ripple in pop and rock music with their surprise hit "Sex and Candy" and slightly successful "St. Joe on the Schoolbus" off their debut self-titled debut. Now the trio is back and in full force. Not only is this eclectic sophomore album catchy, but it also includes a hidden meaning. If you look hard enough, John Wozniak has made this his opus of 90's rock. Call it a decade review. Look at some examples of this: Take for instance the first single off of "Shapeshifter"--"It's Saturday". It shows the catchy pop song, while the offbeat "Pigeon Farm" suggests a hint of frat rock flippancy in care of Dave Matthews. The Pavement-esqueness of "Wave-Motion Gun" and the folksie "America" show the differences in Wozniaks musical home of the "Loser" decade. MP also takes the trademark riffs of the Smashing Pumpkins and exerts them on "When the Lights Go Out". The brilliantly collected works the boys of Marcy Playground have put together keeps the pop scene moving and leaves the radiation silent residue of a time capsule. Bravo, let the music roll Wozniak.

MP are amazing. Their first CD was awesome and "Shapeshifter" is at least as good, possibly better. This is the first time in my life that I got two CD's of the same band and absolutely love every song on both of them! I cannot stop listening to them. Pretty much the same reaction from most of the people I know. If you liked the first album don't walk - run to the store now and get "Shapeshifter"! I'm not gonna repeat what other reviewers have already said. MP is the best live band I've ever seen and if they're playing near you definitely check them out. They hit the notes perfectly every time and John really does have an awesome voice. Also, as one industry exec said, "they're the hardest working band I've ever been around". They really work on being good unlike many other bands and it really shows. In their records and in concert.

Now I've been a fan since Sex & Candy. I was estatic to learn of Shapeshifter, and even more glad when I finally got to listen to it. Man was I happy. The songs definitely rule and carry the same mellow sound and wonderous lyrics that the first cd held. (Thank you John Wozniak! ) Now the music ISN'T the only great thing about this cd. The fact that it's enhanced REALLY makes it worth buying. It features 4 Marcy Playground videos: Saint Joe on the School Bus, Sherry Fraiser, of course Sex & Candy, and my favorite video, Coming Up From Behind. I had never heard that song before, and was glad it was on the cd. The video is excellent featuring clips from Cruel Intentions, the song was great also. Unfortunately, Coming Up From Behind is not on Shapeshifter. Now I have to buy the Cruel Intentions soundtrack. In conclusion, I reccomend this cd for those who own Marcy Playgorund's first cd but not this one and those who have seend cruel intentions and liked the song Coming Up From Behind.

It's a true travesty that more people haven't discovered that beauty that is Shapeshifter. Now I was a huge fan of the self titled CD and some of their unreleased tracks, but this CD is so different from anything else they've ever done... It is so amazing to hear the evolution from their first Cd to their second CD, now here's a track by track breakdown

1.It's Saturday - A good song in it's own right, I mean, any song that can contain well-executed yodeling deserves 3 stars out of 5, except Jewel...

I first became aware of Marcy Playground via " sex and candy". Really enjoyed that song but that was the tip of the iceburg for these guys. Every song on that album grabbed me and the same holds true for "Shapeshifter". A definite must buy , I have not taken it out of my CD player since I purchased it.