Track Listing

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

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49449 in Music
• Brand: Dig
• Released on: 2004-09-07
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .18 pounds

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

Shorter Songs Equals a Greater Good
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."

Beginning of the World Party!
I'm reasonably certain that I am one of the oldest fans of MMW -- in terms of age, that is. My first introduction to MMW was a couple of years ago with "Univisible" and I was hooked. Despite being a very respectable album (mind-blowing in some instances), I was nevertheless hoping for a tighter album. I got my wish with End of the World Party! This album is solid. It's amazing. OK, there are a few weak spots: the opening piece (a definite homage to Herbie Hancock with a nod to Danny Elfman. Danny Elfman? Uh-huh); Bloody Oil (a weak retread of the outstanding "Take Me Nowhere" from Uninvisible); and the final cut, "Queen Bee," which I might actually crank up during Carnival. Despite these weaknesses, this album is by far the best I've heard in ages. I keep hoping they'll make it down here to New Orleans for Jazz Fest, but until that day, I'll have to be content with listening to them on plastic. I can't think of a better group to make jazz relevant to today's youth than MMW. They are definitely in the vanguard.

The best effort to date, the last effort to date, I think
Medeski, Martin and Wood are beyond being an aquired taste. The closest comparison I can make to their music was that of Steely Dan back in the 70's. It basically defies catagorization. If you can't stand being catagorized, you'll probably like the tunes of Medeski, Martin and Wood. Be you a conservative with long hair or a punk rocker in a 3 piece suit or the conductor of the Prague Philharmonic listening to Apocalyptica on his/her mp3 player, all are sure to love this alblum. Once again, the veiled references to the big island are always a curiosity for me. But then again, like DT, its my favorite island in the whole wide end of the world.