Thundercat
The Beyond / Where The Giants Roam
Out Now on Brainfeeder
An EP only in title, Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner’s gorgeous 16-minute reflection on the metaphysical feels like a singular composition. While I was considering writing about one of disc’s two key middle tracks — the soulful bounce of “Them Changes” and the labyrinthine “Lone Wolf and Cub” — much of their power is lost outside the context of the four songs that frame them.
On this record, Bruner shows off his strongest, most streamlined songwriting ever, keeping the noodling to a minimum and restricting his technical virtuosity to lines that serve only to improve the songs. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of bass wizardry here — notably on the backside of “Lone Wolf and Cub” — but it’s not the album’s enduring takeaway. Rather, it’s the realization that Bruner’s songwriting and underrated singing is finally catching up to his prodigious playing, which is a truly mouthwatering proposition.
