Drunk

Love the bass playing, general tones and synth sounds used and the songs are super creative, not all of it hots the mark though. A strange album as the there are 5 star moments and 1 star throughout.

I woke up with a raging migraine this morning, and listening to this didn't help in the slightest. Like Disney Channel-ified call holding R&B-funk music and I couldn't stand it. It's like it's trying so hard to be quirky and a bit experimental but it's actually incredibly boring at its core and all just a bit daft, particularly lyrically.

Nope. This album felt like a random compilation of strange songs. I did not connect with any of the music

Mr. Thundercat is definitely among my favorite living musicians. I get excited when I see the collaborations. There's a couple of songs on this album I already listen to very frequently, but today marks the first time I've ever sat down to listen to an entire Thundercat experience. It reminds me of the first time I heard Kamasi Washington, I put on The Epic and let that just completely take over me. The biggest similarity outside of talent is the jazz influence. Right off the bat I pictured a different universe with a Jaco Pastorious eager to cover a handful of these tracks on first whiff. Sometimes the music feels like eager displaying of talents, which I can imagine feeling pretentious to people who aren't used to hearing the more math-y side of jazz. To me, when it isn't a more clear, somewhat radio-friendly experience, it's communication in a language that can only be felt emotionally. Lots of beautiful work here. NOBODY MOVE THERE'S BLOOD ON THE FLO' Maybe it's a bit messy. Maybe it's a slight bit too long. Maybe after a few more listens throughout the years I'll get it better and take all this differently, maybe every song is essential, every gap accounted for in the grand conceptual scheme of things. I'm ready to keep changing my mind about this one, especially since I'm so eager to play this again and again. Very thankful for this recommendation. 4.5/5

First Listen Favorites: A Fan's Mail Friend Zone Lava Lamp Honorable Mentions: Walk On By Them Changes

Meow

Haha basgitaar gaat brrrt.

Absolutely wonderful! It's colorful, but still extremely earnest. There is a certain charm to music that's so creative and modal, but makes it feel so effortless. The content of the lyrics is light and fun, but it doesn't feel like it's relying on a joke to sell you on the track. The way it's sung, all light falsetto, just makes it another texture to the music.

a very solid collection of funk/neo soul/soft rock/slight psychedelia from one of our greatest living bassists (next to joe dart and Les claypool)

Thundercat has such a special sound. This was definitely on the weirder side and I totally understand the criticism, but enjoyable nonetheless. Wiz track goes dumby

I am not sure what was new or breaking ground about this. It was mediocre at best.

Odd album. Had moments where I thought to myself I’m into it, then others where I just wanted it to end.

Not for me, wasn’t too bad when I got distracted and was only half listening, but when I was actively listening it just really missed the mark… thundercats is a marmite artist, no question that they’re good at what they do… and they certainly are unique, but that particular combination just isn’t enough

Great record. Bass rules!

Hated it tbh

dowmtempo rnb, 2017 -> 2

Rate: 7.5/10

beat yr meat, go to sleep *aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh*

Every song here is driven straight into the ditch. No matter how normal a song starts out, soon it's a mess of bizarre chords, Zappa-esque anti-melodies and overly busy bass playing. Oh, and the annoying lightweight indie pop vocals are the rancid icing on this toxic cake.

Чувак вроде бы играет на басс-гитаре? Ну вот и играл бы, и не нужно никаких завываний.

Hoodwinked, corny ahhh. Two.

meh

Quite a lot. I immediately assumed this was an older album, but it seems to be more referential. It started interesting ( maybe a bit too experimental?). But it seems to have drifted to bog standard and very dull rnb quite quickly?

Modern mix of r&b, funk and soul with virtuoso musicianship.

Incredible record, outstanding musicianship and creativity. So much fun to watch live. One of the best bass players ever.

Labai gera muzika overall, jo tekstai mane kartais erzina.

-1

This is the sort of music I listen to at the dentist office. It's not bad, but it's a bulk purchase.

Loved

Interesting, but not very enjoyable.

Some smooth listening with some fun guest appearances.

Thundercat is unapologetically himself on this album. It's fun, it's drunk, and is sprinkled with pensive moments. It's not my thing but fun to have in the background b

I knew a few songs well (Walk on By, Them Changes) and was very excited to listen to the rest of this album. It's weird. He clearly loves being sonically diverse pushing the boundaries of music. Overall very good but maybe a touch weird for me. Edit: drunk is a great title for this album. It goes from fun and bubbly and silly to dark and sad Also I love the way the last song transitions straight into the first one again

aburridisimo

C'est pas souvent qu'on tombe sur des albums des années 2010 ! Au milieu de cette masse d'albums de rock des années 60 à 2000 (très souvent pas aussi importants que Robert Dimery semble le penser), c'est franchement rafraîchissant ! C'est de la néo-soul, je ne sais toujours pas ce que c'est la soul, encore moins la néo et je crois que ce n'est pas cet album qui va m'aider à cerner ce qu'est le genre. Parce que c'était franchement bizarre, et ce, dans le meilleur sens du terme. Tout était plus ou moins bizarre : les instrus, le chant, les durées des titres (23 en moins d'une heure), même la pochette ! Et c'était un mélange de plein de genres différents, avec plusieurs invités, dont Kendrick Lamar. Alors je ne saurais pas mieux décrire l'album, mais c'était unique, très intéressant, tout ce que j'attends de cette liste !

Liked this in places

He's funny

Odd and eclectic singing / songwriting with great musicianship underneath.

Bass virtuosity is a tricky thing. The more notes you play, the more compressed you have to make it, so each note can be distinguished and you get the full effect from the runs. But that compression, and the quantity approach to melody doesn't really lead to a cool sound, or any toe tapping beats. Bass shouldn't be about shredding, and honestly, it shouldn't really ever be the front and centre of a performance. Thundercat has the ability and musical IQ to do less, and when he does, he's really good, even if the songs are missing a bit of magic. But overall he is spending too much time demonstrating that he is a bass prodigy, instead of playing cool shit. Ask yourself, why do you seek the cup of christ? Is it for his glory, or for yours?

Weird and I don't really know if I like it,

I love Thundercat, i've seen him live 4 times and every show has been a vastly unique goofy jazz fusion experience and his albums are no different. It's hard to rate this album because all of his work has been heavily influenced by what he's going through as artist, like when he was into Billy Preston or Yacth Rock and personal tragedies that shaped his worldview and affected his mindstate, such as the passing of several musical friends of his like Austin Peralta and Mac Miller. I wish instead of Wiz Khalifa and Pharrell we had others to feature in the end, they held down an otherwise introspective dark side of the album with lackluster additions. Was Pharrell too Happy for this? Great listen to start a jazz fussion journey for younger generations.

Not really to my liking. Easy listening?, R&B?, Soul? Whatever name this music goes by, I am not in any way going to like it. So I am not a person that can give a non-biased assessment. That being said, I have to do something with it: 2 "I will never choose to listen to this banal music as long as I can freely choose what I am listening to" stars. (2 stars? Well, it's better than ABBA or ELO, which just suck. You can't get any deeper in the banality muck than those...my personal 1-star measuring sticks...but it's close.)

Fair

No es lo mío

Que mierda es esto? Horrible!.….

We all love your ideas, but give us fewer, focused ones

Really good album that overstays its welcome a bit. If you liked Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp a Butterfly", this is a solid next step. On a side note, I saw Thundercat live, and his show is NOTHING like this album. All those great vibes, those warm bass grooves and smooth melodies that take you along for a ride? Nah, none of that. JAMS. Endless bass solos. Whenever the concert would hint at finally taking off, he would launch into another improv, right in the middle of a song. It was frustrating. When he played "Them Changes", the crowd finally stood up and started dancing and cheering. Too bad it was the last song of the set. He came back for an awkward one-song encore, and that was it.

wow

Was the intended goal of this to convey what it feels like to have ADHD and be drunk? If so, 5 stars for achieving the desired result. For me personally, however, I have my own struggles to deal with, so I wasn't really looking to take on the challenge of experiencing this particular combination of impairments at this time. A very weak 2 - and even then, only because there are already too many other things on this list more deserving of a 1.

Oof. A hard one to get through. And not gonna lie I did not get through it. Far too much bull shit that it exceeded my tolerance level.

This album was probably my favorite, or among my favorite in 10th grade. What was I on? This is such a wild and crazy album, very adventurous for me back then and even still now that I can understand whats happening a little better. Still great. Really cool collabs, great concept, gets serious but stays silly, just like being drunk!

Electronic funk

Musically interesting something I might enjoy having on as background music. Lyrically I cannot figure it out - seemed mostly random rambling saying whatever popped into his head. Not sure why on this list if I’m honest. It’s mediocre at best. 3/5

I saw Thundercat open for the Strokes and it was not good. This wasn't too bad but won't listen again. He is talented though.

Mixed feelings. Početak albuma vrhunski, jazzy stvari, groove, jebeno. I onda mi krene s nekim jeftinim rep nečim. Šteta. 3/5, 5/10

What a delightful surprise. Big fan! He could pass on most collaborations, but otherwise a very solid album.

I don't know what I was expecting…But this was way better! I laughed, I cried, I slapped the air bass, I celebrated collaborations with Loggins/McDonald/Lamar, I meowed… And then it was way too long. Huge talent, needs an editor. 3.5.

What happens when Jacob Collier and Andre 3000 get drunk and drive across the country together. 5 stars for originality + 2 stars for "am I going to listen to this again?" = 3 overall

What ever happened to Wiz Khalifa

Meh

I should like this more than i do. Firstly, it is incredibly well done. The playing, the arrangement, the production are all top tier and can't be faulted. I like most of what is put into the mixing pot here in terms of jazz, funk, some electronic stuff, some rap and rnb. But for some reason i can't find a way in. Maybe the polishedness of it makes it seem too clean, maybe there just arent enough good hooks in it, maybe it leans too rnb for my taste. I keep coming back to it and maybe it will click in the future, but it hasnt so far.

Yeah I like it. Dig the vibe.

Закос

Feel obliged to give this 5 stars having just become a bassist, but I'm not SUPER into the rest of the music apart from on a couple of tracks

Great album cover, let’s get that straight. Based on my small dose of Thundercat so far in life, I was expecting something very different. Basically had a vision of a bluesy guitar-driven thing. Now I can’t even identify why I thought that. Entirely weird set of songs, and mostly disappointed I wasn’t having my baseless vision satisfied. Also, never a good sign when I think “will this album ever end?” about halfway through.

I knew something about Thundercat once. I have forgotten what that thing is. Have I seen him live? Does an acquaintance love him? Who knows? My slushy-soup brain sure doesn’t. My slushy-soup brain is, however, 83% sure that it has not heard this album before. I wonder what year it was added to the book and whether some recency bias was at play. It feels like a record forever anchored to a particular point in time, but not in a good way. Is all soup slushy? Congee might be the exception. Does that even count?

Fun, chill, cool album. Very enjoyable.

Fun. But this maximalist approach will not work on an everyday basis.

It’s fine, I respect the musicianship and what Thundercat has done for modern hip hop and R&B, but his music just doesn’t work for me.

It's alright. I don't love it, but I don't hate it. Not really my scene.

Fucking weird but awesome

This was definitely an interesting album to learn about. It turns out that Stephen Bruner was a member of Suicidal Tendencies, and he’s also worked with Flying Lotus and Kendrick Lamar, which I thought was really interesting. He’s clearly had a wide range of musical experiences across different genres and generations, and now he’s released this fun album. Musically, I’d place this album somewhere under the neo soul and acid jazz umbrella, but I also really enjoyed the playful and experimental nature of it. This is definitely one of the best albums I’ve heard in a long time when it comes to a more modern take on R&B.

Really not sure what to think of this. I'm a huge Louis Cole fan, and this is very much in that area. Them Changes is a modern classic, Friend Zone is filthy, several other tracks are great fun. Buuuuut - several lyrics make me roll my eyes, it's overlong, and the sillyness flips between charming and annoying. It's better than a 3, and I would happily listen again, but somehow a 4 feels flattering? 4 but only just.

I enjoyed the first song but then I just couldn’t get into the rest. Maybe I’m too old, 50 next week…this was just weird.

I really fail to see what merit this album has.

So referential of Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, etc, without bringing enough new stuff to make it interesting. Might as well just listen to a yacht rock playlist.

Nothing that hooks me and too many stupid short tracks/sound snippets. Overproduced doodle-doodle.

good stuff, fun, though some tracked feel half baked (HA) and better played for the background or chilling and hanging out feel like Thundercat is more of a live guy to listen to then a studio guy to listen to.

Junk

Skal vist forestille at være quirky RNB. Sagde mig ikke noget.

Love that bass sound on other records … muffling it behind synths and his voice isn’t the greatest call

I found this to be genuinely interesting. Not sure if I’ll listen to it again, but I found the more experimental stuff really engaging and it’s one of those albums that I don’t think I would have ever known about were it not for this list.

como álbum no tiene mucha fuerza, son demasiadas canciones y a penas un par destacan, una lastima ya que se escuchan muy buenas ideas de vez en vez 2.9

Stupid

Pretty boring, other than Them Changes

A lot for me to like here; the bubbling bass, the yacht rock moves, the depression discussion. Experimental and familiar. Dug it.

Lot of songs and most of them sound like drafts. At times this album grooves really well but mostly it’s like album still takin shape or album that needs more listening. At the moment i’m not interested enough to give more spins to it.

#486 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ❌ (I might tho) Technical marvels, menacingly impossible feats and strange studio gimmicks, this is mostly music for musicians. I hear cool things on occasion and then it goes off to what-ever-everland again with spaghetti like structures. After about 4 songs I feel like I've already heard what this is about, which is not bad by any means, but also it's not made with music in focus. It's more like music is there to enable the experimenting and weirdness. I mean, it's not Yngwie Malmsteen level of "more is more", but it's creeping close. I do however like the bass sound, it's very much on top of the mix, but doesn't feel overbearing, probably because it's not maxed with all the bottom end the studio desk would put out. Some of the tracks are nice sounding souley r'n'b tracks, but overall there is too much weird time signatures, superfast bass licks, strange sounds and other stuff I can't even figure out why it's put in there. I'd give it an easy 4 if it weren't so full on stacked with weirdness and "look at me" style technical prowess. So 3/5 it is.

3 1/2 star rating. Slow start to the album but album got better with each track.

Uma sequência interminável de baterias eletrônicas e teclados que parecem MIDI. Fraco!

Kind of strange and uncomfortable, like the cover.

Not my jam

Friend Zone

This is a pretty good newer album. While there are probably better 2010s R&B albums like this, its still pretty clean and a great homage to 80s R&B music. The guest appearances were cool and the concept was interesting.

Baroque fusion? I was reminded of the subtlest fusion I used to play at my college radio station, the subtlest and the trippiest and soulest. I am into this groove. No one wants to drink alone.

This was clearly the product of a guy/confab who knows music, and there were lots of groovy, funny, and exceptional moments. The problem is the whole thing sounds like it was produced on ProTools by one person in a bedroom — though that seems not to be the case. It was just so flat, which didn't match a lot of the lyrical content and ideas. As such, the album landed mostly flat with me.

I don't know. I like that it's goofy, but it seems kind of lifeless. Good musicianship, though.

Totally dig this. Sylvia walked in as I was listening and seemed impressed.

I'm really excited to see this pop up! I have seen this album thrown around as being great for a long time, but for some reason I've just never taken the time to listen, so I'm stoked for this. I feel like it's good to very good, without being spectacular. There are some songs that are very, very good, and then there are some that are strep-of-conciousness indulgent, if that makes sense. I'd love to give this 3.5 stars, but I can't give it 4 stars, because I can't imagine I'll ever select this album on my own just for a casual listen.

I like Thundercat. I once accidentally saw him live and was blown away by his virtuoso, even though the set was patchy. I was pleasantly surprised to see an album of his pop up. The first half had me vibing real good, with some suprising guest musicians. The album seemed to fizzle out a bit in the second half though.