I used to think that any description of music that had the word “jazz” in it was pretentious and therefore soulless. Yeah, sometimes I’m that harsh a critic! Aside from my undying love for Vince Guaraldi’s Peanut’s Christmas music, I’m a complete ignoramous when it comes to Jazz. But, I gave this a shot. The teaser I posted on Friday was really good, wasn’t it? Well, I spent the rest of the weekend soaking up Radiolarians II and it was glorious!
If you know anything about Medeski, Martin, & Wood, you know they’ve turned the whole concept of what it is to make an album on its head. They wrote, they toured and performed, and then they recorded. What resulted on Radiolarians I was a feeling of being at a jam session, the organic creativity of music shone through. It’s not only duplicated on their new release, it’s superseded.
From the first chords of the first track, I was hooked. Bass heavy, noisy, a little prog-rockish, and some full on, earthiness that you can feel when you’re standing up close to the amp. Well, you know how I am about bass players! There’s a reason, darlin’s …. they feel that tone, you feel that tone… it’s powerful stuff. Track 1, “Flat Tires” wanders off into some piano riffs and swishy drum bits and finishes on a full speed ahead big finish. I was wowed. The rest of the album woos you, takes you in, and you barely notice the intent of it. Radiolarians II feels like that exciting stranger you meet on vacation. He’s just foreign enough to be intriguing, but not enough to be creepy. And you know it won’t last long so you’d better make the most of it, if you know what I mean. Yeah, I’ve been wooed by an Englishman or a Scot like this (mostly Glaswegians I must admit), they’re slick and they make you feel smart and oh so attractive, even after it’s over.You don’t regret a minute of it.
By the time track 3 came along, “Padrecito” I was totally into the piano riffs. I felt so very pleased that I wasn’t hating it, that I actually felt the swell and fall of it as it builds and burns and fades into nothingness. There is nothing soulless about this album. I kept finding new bits to hear, the noise/sound effects in “ijiji” (oh forgive me if there’s a technical term for those), the amazing drumming throughout but especially in “Chasen vs Suribachi,” the cello (?) in “Dollar Pants” and that gorgeous bass drum in “Amish Pintxos.” By track 10, “Baby Let Me Follow You Down,” I was basking in the afterglow. There are albums I listen to intently to review because I want to dissect them and enjoy them more, and then there are albums I listen to intently because I want to dissect them and enjoy them and I know I’ll listen to them again and again. Radiolarians II is that exciting stranger that I want to meet over and over.
Hop back over to this post to hear “Amber Gris” again, xoxo
Official website ….. MySpace ….. Camp MMW Medeski Martin &Wood are also gearing up to host their Camp MMW again this summer. Applications are currently being accepted for the second annual Camp MMW, to take place August 4 – 9, 2009 at the Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, NY. All types of musicians are encouraged to apply. Camp MMW is an incredible opportunity for musicians of varying levels and ages, to live and study with MMW in the Catskill Mountains. Campers will gather together for five days of intensive workshops and seminars, deep listening, musical exploration, and improvisation.
