''Shapeshifter'' is the second album by the American

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band Marcy Playground, released in 1999. The album's first single was "It's Saturday", which peaked at No. 25 on the ''Billboard''

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart. The band promoted the album by touring with Blinker the Star.

Production

Produced by frontman

John Wozniak John Keith Wozniak (born January 19, 1971) is an American musician best known as the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the band Marcy Playground. Early life Wozniak was born and raised in Minneapolis. He learned how to play the guitar ...

, ''Shapeshifter'' was recorded at Mushroom Studios, in Vancouver; Wozniak ended up buying and renovating the studio. The majority of the songs had been in the band's live set for years. The album cover artwork is by

Mark Ryden Mark Ryden (born January 20, 1963) is an American painter who is considered to be part of the Lowbrow (or Pop Surrealist) art movement.Ken Johnson"Mark Ryden: ‘The Gay 90s: Old Tyme Art Show" ''The New York Times'', May 6, 2010. Retrieved 2013 ...

. It was originally commissioned for the

Butthole Surfers Butthole Surfers are an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been ...

, from an idea by their guitarist Paul Leary; Marcy Playground were unaware of its origins when they chose it for ''Shapeshifter''.

Critical reception

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' thought that "Wozniak’s winsome lyrics set the trio above other alterna-pop hopefuls." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' determined that "rather than build on the promise of ''Marcy Playgrounds amateurish fun, the boys cling too tightly to watered-down grunge riffs." The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' concluded that "the guitars are a little louder and the melodies more forceful, but Wozniak's sense of wonder is intact, which makes ''Shapeshifter'' a loopy pleasure." ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' noted that "'Rebel Sodville' includes one of the longest sustained high notes this side of Jeff Buckley." ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' stated that Wozniak "writes inviting melodies that slide smoothly between folk-rock and electric hard-rock peaks." ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' wrote that "''Shapeshifter'' actually rocks out from time to time, with the Gothic ballad 'All the Lights Went Out' crashing out in true arena epic style." The ''

Edmonton Journal The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network. History The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as ...

'' deemed the album "doleful, dotty rock," writing that it is "nowhere near as lethargic as Marcy's first disc."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

wrote that "this faceless alternapop trio tosses together more harmless songs that don't have much to say yet manages to lumber along anyway."

Track listing

Personnel

– guitar, vocals *

Dylan Keefe Dylan Keefe (born April 11, 1970 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is the bassist and one of the founding members of the multi-platinum selling alternative rock band Marcy Playground. Marcy Playground Keefe, along with vocalist John Wozniak and drumm ...

– bass and backing vocals *Dan Rieser – drums and backing vocals

References

{{Authority control Marcy Playground albums 1999 albums