When you’ve listened to as much soul and funk as I have you
begin to get desensitised to the slinky chords and groovy basslines. Everyone
becomes another wannabe-Stevie-Wonder, another wannabe-Steely-Dan. It takes an
artist like LA producer, singer and bassist Thundercat to prove that funk and
soul still has room to evolve.
The Beyond/Where The
Giants Roam is barely an album at seventeen minutes in length, but feels
grand in scale. Each song, produced by Flying Lotus, is drenched in
spooky reverb to sound epic, particularly the vocals. Stylistically, Thundercat lays
down his signature stamp with unique chord progressions, almost dissonantly
sour but equally pretty. His lyrics meanwhile are dark and melancholy. ‘Song
for the Dead’ is self-explanatory, whilst ‘Them Changes’ is a song about
literally losing one’s heart.
The dynamics are brilliant throughout, more so than previous
Thundercat albums, making this feel like the most complete release in the
artist’s discography. Punchy and concise funk number, ‘Them Changes’, is
immediately proceeded by slow and brooding number, ‘Lone Wolf and Cub’, showing
that Thundercat can be just as energetic as he can be atmospheric. And yet as
dynamic as the album is, the overall sweet and gloomy mood is cohesive throughout.
★★★★★
TRACK TASTER: