Review: Thundercat - Apocalypse (Ten Year Anniversary Edition) (Brainfeeder)

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It's hard to imagine how exciting it was 10 years ago with the release of Thundercat's debut album 'Apocalypse' so could the ten year anniversary edition match up to the original?

To briefly recap, Brainfeeder was Flying Lotus' label that was effectively the Ninja Tune sub-label for outside of the US and it was a match made-in as FlyLo was still flying high on the back of the sucess of his 'Los Angeles' and they'd already has success with the underground emergence of The Gaslamp Killer, Lapalux, Ras G, Teebs, Daedelus and many more.

The FL produced 12 tracks showcased the jazz-funk hip hop soul of Thundercat's reinvention of Level 42 (guess why Gilles Peterson was  so impressed).  The obvious hits of 'Oh Sheit It's X' [not that one], 'Lotus And The Jond' and the tribute track followig the death of keyboardist, FlyLo bandmate and friend, Austin Peralta, 'A Message For Austin / Praise The Lord / Enter The Void'.  It all still sounds full of funk and as wobbly as ever and just as exciting as I remember it.

The last time we had a 10 year Anniversary look back with for Every Day by The Cinematic Orchestra (Ninja Tune - see review HERE) and as they went onto bigger and better, so did Thundercat with the monster album, 'Dunk'.

If you haven't got your ticket for the Spring Tour you might have missed your chance as all venues are selling out fast.

SPRING 2024 EUROPEAN TOUR 23 March - Salle Pleyel - Paris - FR - SOLD OUT 25 March - O2 Academy - Glasgow - UK 26 March - Vicar Street - Dublin - IE - SOLD OUT 28 March - Victoria Warehouse - Manchester - UK 29 March - City Hall - Newcastle - UK 30 March - Bristol Beacon - Bristol - UK - SOLD OUT 31 March - Civic Hall - Wolverhampton - UK 03 April - KOKO - London - UK - SOLD OUT 04 April - KOKO - London - UK - SOLD OUT 05 April - KOKO - London - UK - SOLD OUT 06 April - KOKO - London - UK - SOLD OUT 09 April - Ancienne Belgique - Brussels - BE - SOLD OUT 10 April - TivoliVredenburg - Utrecht - NL - SOLD OUT 11 April - Paradiso - Amsterdam - NL - SOLD OUT 12 April - Melkweg - Amsterdam - NL - SOLD OUT 14 April - OM Concerts - Seraing - BE 16 April - Vicar Street - Dublin - IE

 

Artist: Thundercat 

Title: Apocalypse (Ten Year Anniversary Edition) 

Release date : 15th March, 2024

Label : Brainfeeder

Catalog Number : BFDNL040,

Format: LP / CD / Digital

P.S. every wondered what the PR was at the time: "Forever a wildcat and wild card, Los Angeles’ bassist/songwriter/vocalist Stephen Bruner, aka Thundercat, is impossible to tame artistically. A true master of his craft, he can be found playing bass with Flying Lotus, Erykah Badu and Suicidal Tendencies, in the same breath as performing live with the likes of Stanley Clarke, Snoop Dogg or the Red Hot Chili Peppers. His 2011 solo debut (‘The Golden Age of Apocalypse,’ co-produced by Flying Lotus) created an equally genre-blurring enigma of indie rock and jazz, with a touch of electronica.

On his second album, ‘Apocalypse,’ Thundercat pairs up with executive producer Flying Lotus to pull the veil back and reveal the simple truths of the cycle of life, for all its beauty and destruction. An album about loss and rebuilding, trying to gain something back, and capturing that moment of clarity where one finally finds feet back on the ground again. Bringing a fusion of pop, soul, electronica, prog rock and funk into an unexplored dimension, the album slowly descends and tunnels to the core of what it takes to grasp peace, at a time that it seems most far.

From the deep, rumbling entrance of ‘Tenfold,’ each of the 12 tracks coalesce with Thundercat’s signature bass, his riffs and basslines gliding skyhigh to meet Fly Lo’s astral touch. Bruner's vocals and harmonies also soar with open honesty, rising above heartbreak with uplifting odes to love and companionship (‘Tron Song’) and wise mantras to live by (‘Special Stage’). The album plays as a comedy and tragedy at the same time, delicately addressing tracks like ‘We’ll Die’ while bringing the all-out cosmic funk of the anthemic ‘Oh Sheit, it’s X.‘

As heavy as the lyrical weight may be, the divine musicality of Flying Lotus, and Thundercat’s instrumental collaborations, brings light. Navigating dense rhythms and intense harmonic progressions, the LP pushes through the hypnotic strands of ‘The Life Aquatic,’ the analogue explorations of ‘Lotus & The Jondy’ (recorded in Adrian Younge’s studio with drummer Thomas Pridgen), and Thundercat and Lotus’ prog rock jam ‘Seven,’ a spontaneous improv recording that organically materialized in less than an hour. It’s no wonder the kindred pair often refer to their freeform sessions as “going to space.” Continually pushing tracks to their furthest point, they take the listener to another place completely - somewhere beyond time, a place that transcends this realm. As the aformentioned track ‘Seven’ (named for its challenging time signature) asks, “Can you hear the sounds of infinity?”

Thundercat explains ‘Apocalypse’:

“I feel like the album’s a story, more than anything. The music’s almost like a photobook for me. It takes me back to certain things I’ll never forget. I love working with Lotus because he was able to give it a different perspective and mold, to where people can actually see it for what it is.”"