Before heading out on the Summerland 2012 package tour -- a traveling showcase for '90s alt-rockers headlined by
Everclear and also featuring
Sugar Ray,
Gin Blossoms, and
Lit --
Marcy Playground assembled the rarities compilation
Lunch, Recess & Detention. Offering B-sides, alternate takes, demos, covers, and even an extended "Disco Superfly Remix" of their signature hit "Sex and Candy" (along with an acoustic alternate take of the same song!), this, needless to say, is for the devoted but anybody who hasn't stuck with the band throughout the years may be surprised with what they find here. These odds and ends showcase a looser band than "Sex and Candy" suggests, one with a broader musical range and a sense of humor, albeit a sense of humor that is often undercut by a sincerity that is a shade too earnest, a trait that almost becomes a liability on their too-faithful covers of
Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and
Neil Young's "The Needle and the Damage Done." Nevertheless, the raggedness of
Lunch, Recess & Detention is appealing and goes a long way toward illustrating why the faithful consider
Marcy Playground as more than a one-hit wonder. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine