End of the World Party: Just in Case (Dig)

Medeski Martin & Wood | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 7, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B0002QO4B8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,238 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #44 in Music > Rock > Jam Bands > Funk Jam Bands
  • #74 in Music > Jazz > Jazz Jam Bands

Track Listings

1. Anonymous Skulls

2. End of the World Party

3. Reflector

4. Bloody Oil

5. New Planet

6. Mami Gato

7. Shine It

8. Curtis

9. Ice

10. Sasa

11. Midnight Poppies/Crooked Birds

12. Queen Bee

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

With each successive album, Medeski Martin & Wood have become harder to pin down. Having long ago transcended their soulful organ-groove basics to enter a more expansive world of snappy beats and backbeats, eerie atmospheric effects, post-lounge riffing, and the occasional jazz overture, they occupy their own category. Produced by the Dust Brothers' John King (Beck's Odelay, the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique), End of the World Party (Just in Case) is an agreeably varied effort, ranging from the spacey effects and Middle Eastern taint of "Bloody Oil" (on which bassist Chris Wood lays down the lumber) to the sassy electric funk of "Sasa" (one of four tracks featuring guitarist Marc Ribot) to the wordless voice effects of the jaunty title track. As ever, John Medeski is equally at home referencing post-bop piano aces like Herbie Hancock, getting down on churning Hammond organ, and making like Stevie Wonder with his "Superstition"-style synth. Unlike some MMW records, this one wastes not: all 12 tracks clock in at around the four- or five-minute mark, and they flow together with consummate ease. --Lloyd Sachs

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shorter Songs Equals a Greater Good, September 11, 2004

By 

j. - See all my reviews

This review is from: End of the World Party: Just in Case (Dig) (Audio CD)

I've always enjoyed and respected Medeski Martin and Wood. The veteran New York trio has always been pushing the musical limits of their sound. Jazz, by nature, is a genre that is founded upon experimentation and an embracing of the unfamiliar. And the fact is, MMW have clearly changed their sound from album to album (from all-out acoustic to Hammond Organ funk) while also maintaining a sense of familiarity.

It seems like MMW have released about an album every year for the past several years, which could be arguably good or arguably a mistake. After all, just because a band is prolific does not necessarily mean that their material is superior. However, this is MMW's finest cd. They've joined with one of the Dust Brothers (as producer), which gives the album a very old-school hip/hop vibe (The Dust Brothers did early beats for the Beastie Boys). BUT, couple this with the funky and soulful organ-drums-piano-bass sound that Medeski Martin and Wood are known for, and you have a very progressive album.

In my humble opinion, past MMW albums have been too unfocused, even for a jam-band. Their lengthy songs and their experimentation, while certainly academic and well-skilled, bordered on muddled and sometimes lost cohesion as they progressed. There were certainly gems to be found on each album, but there were also songs that felt like merely side thoughts. For this album, MMW have cut away some (not all, by any means) of the jamming, giving way to a tigther, crisper sound and ultimately a more accessable album. (They've also cleaned out their closet and used virtually everything in there to make sound effects for the album). Hardcore MMW fans may argue that this album is too poppy or non-experimental (or simply that the songs are too short). But listen closely...the guys are still grooving and jamming as hard as ever. After all, that old saying that your English teacher told you before you took an essay exam goes for music too. "It's not the quantity that matters, but the quality."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just another excuse to trance dance, perhaps, September 29, 2004

By 

PJ Willy (Tokyo) - See all my reviews

This review is from: End of the World Party: Just in Case (Dig) (Audio CD)

Mmm. Already I like this better than Uninvisible. I don't like to use the expression "break new ground" with MMW as I think their retro-future-funk sound is too grounded in a well-oiled groove to be considered on the fringes of truly progressive music. But tracks like Anonymous Skulls, Bloody Oil, and New Planet definitely display the expansion of pallette that is to be hoped for with these insane musical communicators. And then there are other tracks like Shine It which bear an almost too-close resemblance to previous outings (in this case Note Bleu, which it could easily be without the extra transitional bars thrown in). But that is me speaking as someone who has listened to far too much MMW. The sexy details that punctuated Uninvisible but were let down by flat tracks that refused to grow are amplified here by well-rounded nuggets of groove that, even if sometimes derivative of the past, never sound stale. All in all a solid outing, thank you boys, and kudos to John King - you really know how to make the stars shine.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best album yet, September 7, 2004

By 

Georgios Kanakaris "George K" (Belgium) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: End of the World Party: Just in Case (Dig) (Audio CD)

This is by far the best MMW-album yet.The music has more grooves and is more funky.But what i like most , is the use of electric piano and some synth too.Now, how long must we wait for a live cd/DVD ?