Shapeshifter is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Marcy Playground, released on November 2, 1999, by Capitol Records.
The album's first single was "It's Saturday", which peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The band promoted the album by touring with Blinker the Star.
Production
Produced by frontman John Wozniak, Shapeshifter was recorded at Sabella Studios in Roslyn Heights, New York, and mixed at Mushroom Studios in Vancouver; Wozniak ended up buying and renovating the latter venue. The majority of the songs had been in the band's live set for years.
The album cover artwork is by Mark Ryden. It was originally commissioned for the Butthole Surfers, 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 thought that "Wozniak’s winsome lyrics set the trio above other alterna-pop hopefuls." The Age 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 deemed the album "doleful, dotty rock," writing that it is "nowhere near as lethargic as Marcy's first disc."