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If you are looking for an album that you can relax to and ease your worried mind then this is not it. Anybody who wants to challenge their mind and soul will transcend the majority of pop crap that radio conglomerates force feed us by listening to this album. In being true to themselves they have created an album that will never be top of the charts but is better by far than any chart topping album in the history of music. On top of that they lay down some trippy bombs like no other band in history. It's like going from Budweiser to Guinness or schwag to chronic, you won't regret it. Dissonance never sounded so sweet. However, there is enough groove in this tasty gem to keep you coming back for more. You won't find a better example of a band that doesn't give a damn about what the record company wants them to produce.
Tracks like We Are Rolling want to send you away but just as you're hitting the door or the stop botton on your deck the bass kicks in and you pause midair, and your booty starts to do this wierd shaking thing, and you're hooked. Remind you of any certain drug experiences. As with anything worth doing more than once, it takes a couple of listens to really get into this album/band but you'll be glad you did. That's a promise.
This album revealed a very different sound to MMW. Rather than the nice, jam-band friendly ways of Friday Afternoon and Combustication, The Dropper felt a lot more abrasive, more distorted. Billy Martin lays down some of his fattest grooves to date, on such tracks as "Big Time", "Felic", "Shacklyn Nights", and "Partido Alto", to name a few. Very out there, and I can see why they call it "The Dropper".
WOW, as a 20 year old who has grown up in the most worthless period of music thus far, i feel lucky to have a group like mmw to evolve with. They have an extremely experimental and futuristic vibe which can only be compared to the european psychedelic era music ('69-'74) days of such groups as Gong and Hatfield and the North. As a lover of progressive/non classifiable music, mmw is the definitive of this generation's zen. MMW takes you to another place. Here is my two cents on The Dropper:First of all, give it a try.if you absolutely hate it, then listen to something else, if you like it a little, then try some earlier medeski, then listen to the dropper a few more times, and if you love it.well.i know how you feel.MMW is a very experimental band, they dive deeper and deeper into musical space every album they come up with. Instead of fame and fortune, MMW is searching for a goal only John, Billy, and Chris understand (or do they).
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). 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. 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.
It just kills you. The Dropper took on a more loud, distorted approach than its predecessor, Combustication, also a fantastic album. MMW's metamorphosis started right here. When I lost the CD, it was totally worth it to get it again; it's that good. This album kept moving, with high speeds and some killer grooves. The groove in "Big Time" sums the whole CD up for me. Well Done, MMW. well done.
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