Leaving Wonderland... in a Fit of Rage
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Track listing
- 1 Blackbird 3:14
- 2 Devil Woman 3:05
- 3 Gin and Money 3:46
- 4 Star Baby 2:51
- 5 I Burned the Bed 2:38
- 6 Irene 2:44
- 7 Emperor 3:40
- 8 Good Times 3:17
- 9 I Must Have Been Dreaming 2:35
- 10 Memphis 2:50
- 11 Thank You 3:35
- 12 Down the Drain 3:17
- Total length: 37:32
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Catalog
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Review
To rate, slide your finger across the stars from left to right.
5 Reviews
The new Marcy's is great, and is easily their best since the selftitled. All-killer, no-filler... almost entirely an acoustic and readily understandable/digestible gem, but still melodic and entertaining enough narratively to keep staleness a non-issue. I'm not saying it's the album of the year--my vote is Farm fo sho--but it's good to see Marcy's back and nearly on top of their game.
So, yeah... they don't sound as much as a direct product of the grunge era as they used to be, and they aren't blending childish folktales with adult style misery anymore, but it's still a very enjoyable record that will likely be overlooked due to 'em not properly following up their first record until now (Shapeshifter had its epic moments but drug like a *****, and MP3, despite having its share of the band's greatest rockers, also had its share of nothing tracks).
"Good Times" may even be their best song to date.
So, yeah... they don't sound as much as a direct product of the grunge era as they used to be, and they aren't blending childish folktales with adult style misery anymore, but it's still a very enjoyable record that will likely be overlooked due to 'em not properly following up their first record until now (Shapeshifter had its epic moments but drug like a *****, and MP3, despite having its share of the band's greatest rockers, also had its share of nothing tracks).
"Good Times" may even be their best song to date.
Published
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1
Blackbird
-
2
Devil Woman
-
3
Gin and Money
-
4
Star Baby
-
5
I Burned the Bed
-
6
Irene
-
7
Emperor
-
8
Good Times
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9
I Must Have Been Dreaming
-
10
Memphis
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11
Thank You
-
12
Down the Drain
Leaving Wonderland was originally conceived as a John Wozniak solo release, and that fact epitomizes the differences between this record and Marcy Playground's first three studio albums. The music here still qualifies as acoustic-driven alternative rock, but the soaring power pop melodies are gone and heavier, post-grunge inspired guitars only appear on a handful of tracks. In their place are a string of leisurely tunes with a relatively twangy mix of acoustic and slide guitars. Not quite alt-country, but far more confessional than anything that Marcy Playground previously released. These changes are accompanied by a shift away from the idiosyncratic and frequently "nerdy" lyrics that punctuated Marcy Playground. The resulting album should be uniformly inoffensive but eliminates much of what set the band apart from the competition. In fact, if you eliminate the driving acoustic guitar grooves, there's little to separate Leaving Wonderland from the most generic songwriter-oriented pop/rock releases of the time.
As a person who enjoys parts of Marcy Playground's earlier catalogue but has never considered myself a fan, I see little reason to revisit Leaving Wonderland now that I've listened through it a handful of times. Wozniak is a strong vocalist, but the melodies here do little to accentuate his distinctive elocution or his talent for making bizarre subject matter sound interesting. The album is also light on memorable hooks, far too light to compensate for the generic arrangements. I attribute this to the record's lack of power pop elements: the twangy acoustic-driven vibe is interesting for a handful of tracks, yet without the anthemic moments the record is seriously lacking in variety. As such, unless you’re one of the few remaining Marcy Playground fanatics, I can't recommend listening through Leaving Wonderland in its entirety. For those of you who fondly remember "Sex and Candy" and are intrigued to hear how Wozniak's career played out, it may still be worth your time to give a few of these tracks a quick listen. I suggest starting with "Blackbird", "Gin and Money", and "I Must Have Been Dreaming". If you aren't sufficiently impressed by those songs, there's absolutely no reason to spent time on the remainder of the release.
Unless Wozniak repurposes another solo release, it looks like Leaving Wonderland will go down as Marcy Playground's last proper studio album (the subsequent Lunch, Recess & Detention is dominated by covers and re-releases). That would make it a particularly forgettable end for a band that never rose above "second-tier" status, even back in its late-90's heyday. If you're interested in exploring the Marcy Playground discography, start with Marcy Playground and proceed chronologically.
4.8/10
Published
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Some fairly good tracks riddle among tracks that are lackluster and sub par. For fans there are a handful of enjoyable tracks, for me, the B-side is notably more enjoyable than the A-Side. Emperor, Good Times, Thank You, and Down the Drain are the most enjoyable.
Published
Interesting release. Worth checking out if you are a fan or even if you haven't been following what this band has been doing for over a decade.
Overall, "Leaving Wonderland... In a Fit of Rage" is largely acoustic, delivering some memorable songs.
"Good Times" may be the band's best song in a long time.
Overall, "Leaving Wonderland... In a Fit of Rage" is largely acoustic, delivering some memorable songs.
"Good Times" may be the band's best song in a long time.
Published
I didn't expect anything phenomenal from this band, mainly because of their last album MP3, which was a debacle. But there are one or two surprisingly good tracks ('Irene', 'Memphis') and some decent ones ('I Must Have Been Dreaming' or 'Devil Woman') on this new record. Enjoyable!
Published
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Catalog
19 Apr 2024
28 Jan 2024
21 Jan 2024
15 Nov 2023
30 Sep 2023
31 Jul 2023
13 Jul 2023
8 Jun 2023
1 Jun 2023
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1
Blackbird
-
2
Devil Woman
-
3
Gin and Money
-
4
Star Baby
-
5
I Burned the Bed
-
6
Irene
-
7
Emperor
-
8
Good Times
-
9
I Must Have Been Dreaming
-
10
Memphis
-
11
Thank You
-
12
Down the Drain
17 May 2023
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1
Blackbird
-
2
Devil Woman
-
3
Gin and Money
-
4
Star Baby
-
5
I Burned the Bed
-
6
Irene
-
7
Emperor
-
8
Good Times
-
9
I Must Have Been Dreaming
-
10
Memphis
-
11
Thank You
-
12
Down the Drain
24 Mar 2023
29 Dec 2022
18 Sep 2022
12 Sep 2022
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1
Blackbird
-
2
Devil Woman
-
3
Gin and Money
-
4
Star Baby
-
5
I Burned the Bed
-
6
Irene
-
7
Emperor
-
8
Good Times
-
9
I Must Have Been Dreaming
-
10
Memphis
-
11
Thank You
-
12
Down the Drain
6 Sep 2022
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