Marcy Playground
Marcy Playground's John Wozniak was one of those kids who, like Charlie Brown, got a bag of rocks for Halloween instead of candy. Fortunately, Wozniak used his childhood ostracism as the inspiration and fuel to write charmingly quirky pop songs. Wozniak woos the listener with his smooth, low-key vocals and lighthearted delivery of weighty, somewhat twisted, and darkly humorous songs. "Poppies" gives a cheery history lesson on the origins of the international opium trade, while "Elvinkind" and "Dog and His Master," with its chorus of "One little, two little, three little idiots," could become new, if slightly warped, children's standards. And then there's the country feel of the chartbuster, "Sex & Candy," with the sing-along refrain "I smell sex and candy here." One of the qualities of an exceptional band is the ability to tell a story through their music; something that Marcy Playground succeed at beautifully.--Gail Worley