Medeski, Martin and Wood Album: “Dropper”

It's been a good year for Medeski, Martin + Wood. Putting out a disc of such high caliber as the live, acoustic "Tonic" would be enough for most groups, but MMW have given us its electric equivalent. "The Dropper" is more great stuff from a band that has yet to slow down or rest on its laurels, even with a big-label contract.

The album is not really tune-based like earlier MMW; there is a lot of exploration of dense textures and rhythms. Grooves are a little fleeting here, sometimes appearing for just a minute before falling out in favor of a new direction in the music. Now this kind of thing may scare some people off, but those folks would be missing out. If it's not immediately accessible to some, be patient. Repeated listening will pay off.

The generally dark sound of the album is reminiscent of "Combustication", but the vibe is a little more aggressive here, helped out by the quality of the recording. I don't know sound engineering technology, but this CD sounds sharp. Every sound has depth to it that makes it feel like MMW are playing in a room with you, and you can reach over and feel the heat radiating off the band's amps.

I'm not going to go track-by-track or discuss MMW's genre mixing (though I will say that just listening to "Tsukemono" will completely blow any preconcieved boundaries between genres out of your head); I'm just a fan recommending one helluva good chunk of music.

Medeski, Martin, & Wood have always refined, redefined, or reinvented their sound from album to album. On The Dropper, MMW manages to do all of this within single songs. Gone are the albums dedicated to displaying the group's individual and ensemble virtuosity. MMW now seems concerned with constructing dense, organic, funky, and sometimes dissonant soundscapes. Combustication's experimentation in different textures and sonorities is continued and aggressively expanded on The Dropper. This makes for a more daunting listen initally, but once the sounds and grooves settle in your mind they are quite rewarding.

The above notwithstanding, this is still a fun album. In spite of (or due to) the experimentation and the familiar NYC recording surroundings, this album manages to retain a certain lighthearted nature. This group that is comfortable enough to explore and have fun, and watching MMW get to that point has been one of the most rewarding things about being a fan for five or six years.

You'll scratch your head for a while (I still am), but soon you'll be nodding your head along with the bizarre and very funky grooves.

From the start this album lets you know where you stand. "We Are Rolling" is a deliberate attempt to keep you from grooving, as you may be used to doing, to MMW. Billy Martin's mad-man 'John Bonham on mushrooms' UN beat to the song second guesses you every time you try to snap your fingers or shake your [behind]. I think whether or not you dig this album really depends on just HOW much you love this weird little trio. I can't get enough of them, especially after seeing them live, so I dig it.

BUT.. I've played this album for people who don't share my enthusiasm for them and it's driven them out of the room.

Some exceptions to this, maybe "Bone Digger" with it's spaghetti western feel, "Partido Alto" and "Big Time" harken back to the kind of grooving that makes Shack-Man such a bootie shakin album.

But as each album comes out, they seem to dedicate more tracks to these spacy, moody jams that sound like underscoring David Lynch movies.

Not that I object to "MOOD" as that's one of my favorite aspects of their music.

matt.

This is MM&W's kitchen sink album. In addition to their usual keyboards, drums, and bass, they bring in a handful of other musicians to play guitar, congas, alto sax, violin, and cello. The band sounds like they've been listening to a lot of John Zorn --- they blend and twist the sounds, creating a lively collage of music that underscores their strengths and leads the way to new ideas.

The high points are Illinization (a funky march that comes on like distant thunder), Note Bleu (a straightforward funk/jazz jam accented by buzzes and chimes), and We Are Rolling (a thick 7-minute work-out that lives up to its name). If you're into experimental music or avant-garde jazz, you'll love this. Long-time MM&W fans might be put off at first, but they'll get into it after the fifth or sixth time.

I agree when this album is something you cannot appreciate on first listen. It took me awhile to get into you...but it does get catchy and habitual. MMW does a good job of throwing a lot at you in this album while still keeping the holy groove going. Once you do get familiar, though, this will definitely rank up there with "electric" albums (Combustication, Shack Man, and It's a Jungle in Here). Many thanks to MMW for keeping the fans on their toes and always suprising us with great stuff!