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Sep 1, 2011The Golden Age of Apocalypse has an extremely rich and cosmic-like atmosphere, making you instantly reach for the repeat button. Stephen Brunner is no more a sideman; he's a solid jazz cat that doesn't need to jerk off with his bass wizardry.
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Aug 30, 2011Almost dreamlike in his flow, Thundercat totes us along by way of his agile bass-neck work, sly Rhodes riffs, and vocals that sound filtered through daisies and sunshine.
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Sep 26, 2011What Thundercat has created with The Golden Age of Apocalypse is the sonic equivalent to a power-packed issue of Wax Poetics, bringing together several disparate elements of one nation under a groove to build a challenging and soulful playground for his indelible skills on the bass.
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Aug 29, 2011Equal parts futuristic space jazz fusion and hip-hop that does well to bridge the seemingly disparate corners of Thundercat's sprawling resume, Apocalypse is one of those rare modern jazz records that's remarkably unpretentious without having to cheapen the daunting complexity jazz is noted for.
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Aug 26, 2011It's that mix of astral expensiveness and strict artistry that makes Thundercat's debut LP The Golden Age Of Apocalypse as grand and visionary as its title.
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Aug 26, 2011Though it may not be the knock out aural masterpiece one would expect from the likes of a Flying Lotus production, The Golden Age of Apocalypse excels by harnessing the spirits of Pastorious, Sun-Ra, and other left-of-center demigods, dazzling us with FlyLo and Bruner's unique brand of collaborative eccentric genius.
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Sep 2, 2011Like his fusion heroes, Bruner wants it all: the future shock of electronics, the tightly edited pleasures of pop, the love-sick opulence of quiet-storm soul, and the show-stopper instrumental breaks of jazz. The fact that he's mostly pulled it off, with a record that's serious in intent while playful in execution, is pretty astounding.
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Dec 6, 2011Several cuts are instrumental workouts, unpredictable and flagrantly noodle-y. Others venture into tranquil folk-soul and soft jazz-pop; for all the animated instrumental flexing on display, it's those atmospheric and simpler songs that move the most.
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Sep 8, 2011The Golden Age Of Apocalypse is all warm vibes and morning sex instead of Cosmogramma's seriously zonked and far-out space grooves-light and airy melodies carried out on bass with the tinkle of synth and keyboard, clear uptempo drumlines and a high soul-influenced singing voice doused in reverb.
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Aug 26, 2011The Golden Age of Apocalypse seems specially made for a long, hot, daydream-filled summer. Here's hoping.
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Aug 26, 2011If this is the sound of the Apocalypse, it's the sound of a fiendishly inventive musician and his talented producer trying to squeeze in all the great ideas before armageddon hits.
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Aug 25, 2011It's been a pretty solid year for electronic music thus far, and this comfortably sits with the best.
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Aug 29, 2011The Golden Age of Apocalypse is a great album that shows Bruner utilizing all of his bass wizardry.
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Sep 21, 2011These guys have the tools, and God knows they have the chops, but Thundercat has yet to develop a compelling sound of his own, and no amount of production wizardry can ultimately disguise that.
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Aug 26, 2011Offering a vision more golden age than apocalypse, Thundercat's music sparkles, and the effect is both lovely and overwhelming.
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Aug 25, 2011There's a completely unique blend of textures and a desire for musical experimentation running through the bloodstream of The Golden Age of Apocalypse, and it would be a great shame to see that overlooked.
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Q MagazineSep 22, 2011Freaky electronica from West Coast bass maestro. [Oct 2011, p.130]
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Aug 30, 2011Bruner has some pretty sweet, vibey chops that he deploys sporadically here. If cultivated, he could deliver that skewed-fusion, weed hazed love letter he's attempted here. In the meantime, best to let him noodle it out on his own.
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Aug 29, 2011A little muscle, and maybe even a little heavy-metal menace, would have balanced the album out nicely.
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UncutAug 26, 2011Both fierce and mellow, this is smooth-jazz with an alluringly punky heart. [Sep 2011, p.96]
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Aug 25, 2011His mellifluous style, best exemplified on Boat Cruise and Jamboree, ebbs and flows without ever letting go of the groove. A bit like Jaco Pastorius in a space suit.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 17 out of 19
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Mixed: 2 out of 19
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Negative: 0 out of 19
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Jun 3, 2013
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Jul 12, 2018