Everybody wants to work with Thundercat. The Los Angeles musician, whose virtuous, effect-heavy bass-playing sounds like twitching comets, has earned spots on some of his generation’s musical landmarks, including Kendrick Lamar’s magnum opus, To Pimp a Butterfly.
It’s a style that anybody can benefit from, that turns great art into greater art. But on his fifth album, Thundercat proves just how much his own work can benefit from collaboration.
The best songs of Distracted are those that feature The Lemon Twigs: What Is Left to Say and Pozole. Integrating the duo’s Beach Boys worship into Thundercat’s sound makes for a unique crossover in which Cat’s psychedelic soul background invites Pet Sounds-style vocal harmonies that guide unforeseen key changes. Given his penchant for the extremities of jazz fusion’s hard bop, it shouldn’t be a total surprise that this addition works in the album’s favour.
Nor should it be a surprise that Kevin Parker’s voice can blend so well with Thundercat’s remorseless chord/rhythm switches (No More Lies), or Willow’s, given her own abstract dabbling (ThunderWave).
He sounds like he’s having the time of his life fluttering his falsetto alongside late friend Mac Miller’s half-sophomoric, half-philosophical raps on She Knows Too Much, rocking against fragmented basslines in one of Thundercat’s most Clinton-esque funk ventures, complete with galactic boogie keyboard solos.
Despite playing his bass so gymnastically when up for it (Candlelight / I Did This to Myself), Thundercat gives a firmer incentive to those eager to cook with him – you know, rather than just because he’s a killer musician. That’d be his delightful personality.
Distracted presents Thundercat as a geeky, endearing goof who loves making Star Wars references (What Is Left to Say / Anakin Learns His Fate) as much as he loves celebrating his friendships as if he’s ‘drunk’ – pun intended – at a party (Funny Friends).
He’s geeky, he’s funny, and he resolves the album with a light brigade of weird, anxiety-crunching, slice-of-life humour. He literally meows in the face of the current American struggle on Great Americans; an offbeat, thunderous cat anthem. He signs off on You Left Without Saying Goodbye with the line “maybe I should start an OnlyFans and show some feet”; famous last words, to say the least.
It is always admirable when a musician uses their technical talent to benefit their songwriting – rather than, you know, just playing scales really fast or something – and Thundercat uses his own talent to produce one of his most rewarding ‘songs’ albums on Distracted. But there’s always a little more to it, and most importantly, he reestablishes himself, on the album, as a funny guy with countless funny friends.
Best tracks – She Knows Too Much – What Is Left to Say – Pozole.
Rating – 7.5 out of 10
