Marcy Playground

02/25/1997 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Jennifer Clay

While Marcy Playground does have a touch of that Nirvana thing, it's the Seattle band subdued--NOT grunge love. In fact, the only time Marcy Playground pick up speed--slightly--on their 12-song, self-titled debut is, appropriately, during "The Shadow Of Seattle" and "Poppies" (about heroin in China, not Seattle). But, hey, that's okay. The trio's music is low and mellow, sexy and sultry, and full of mischievous intent--like a boy dreaming of sex (the radio hit "Sex And Candy") and magic spells ("A Cloak Of Elvenkind"). While the songs do have extremely likable, sedate grooves, the loaded words are of as much interest--like "Saint Joe On The School Bus," about being picked on at school (which is something that apparently happened a great deal during singer/ songwriter/ guitarist John Wozniak's formative years) and "Dog And His Master," which puts a perverse twist of reality to the "See Dick Run" storyline. The combo may not make for a record of obvious radio hits, but it makes for a great album.