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9.0
117894
9.0 |
Uncut
From funk struts to tender touches, Thundercat's ascension continues rapidly here. Print edition only
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9.0
117925
9.0 |
Exclaim
It Is What It Is manifests as a beautiful ebb and flow of emotional states, philosophical musings and plain old comedy
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9.0
117997
9.0 |
All Music
As on the earlier Thundercat LPs, outer space and homeboy escapades, comic courtship and elusive companionship, and philosophical insights also inform the material
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8.8
118085
8.8 |
Paste Magazine
The ace bassist and producer pens a love letter to classic ’70s R&B without getting stuck in the past
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8.5
117896
8.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
On It Is What It Is, Stephen Bruner’s eccentric hyperactivity is on full display, bouncing from jittery bass chops to fat West Coast funk
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8.0
117897
8.0 |
The Skinny
Thundercat returns in a laid-back mood on fourth album It Is What It Is, joined by an extensive cast of collaborators
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8.0
117898
8.0 |
The Independent
What’s impressive is how Thundercat makes this music, with its complex structures and zigzagging rhythms, so human
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8.0
117900
8.0 |
Northern Transmissions
It Is What It Is is electric with wonderful performances from some of the most talented people in music today
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8.0
117903
8.0 |
The Arts Desk
The potentials and danger of being a young black American are tipped into optimism by the participants’ brilliance
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8.0
117907
8.0 |
The Music
Regular producer Flying Lotus’ fingerprints are once again all over this album, with instantly recognisable components such as muffled bass, 2bit handclaps and all-over-the-place keys
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8.0
117911
8.0 |
Gigwise
It Is What It Is has an overwhelming sense of positivity – happy melodies overpower even the more reflective lyrics and give us the escape we need
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8.0
117919
8.0 |
Long Live Vinyl
Across its 15 tracks of joy and melancholy, It Is What It Is gives you a visitor’s pass to Thundercat’s unique world, and, boy, is it a ride
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8.0
117923
8.0 |
NME
The jazz-fusion bassline don reins in the funk to honour his fallen friend, though also lets loose with the likes of Childish Gambino by his side
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8.0
118027
8.0 |
Q
The new album arrives with somethign more than the shrug of its philosophical title stake. Print edition only
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8.0
117937
8.0 |
Evening Standard
A riveting album that fizzes with ambition
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8.0
117944
8.0 |
musicOMH
Sparkles with inventive songwriting, chunky production and pervasive good vibes, a worthwhile addition to any R&B or jazz fan’s collection
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8.0
117895
8.0 |
Mojo
The musical and emotional ground covered here is remarkable, evidence of an artist who can locate joy inside pain, and whose adventurous, modernist, fearful funk can be movingly expressive. Print edition only
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8.0
117893
8.0 |
Clash
It’s an album embracing difference, accepting highs and lows: just what we need right now
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8.0
118094
8.0 |
DIY
The LP’s darker moments are its most affecting, but the playful brushes of humour throughout never diminish anything
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8.0
118100
8.0 |
The Quietus
An expansive record for intensive times
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8.0
118152
8.0 |
Under The Radar
Although even at its worst, Bruner’s songs remain enjoyable through his sharp, and often dazzling, bass playing. Emotionally and musically, he has kept pushing forward on this new record
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8.0
118331
8.0 |
XS Noize
With classic albums and songs being continuously celebrated; Thundercat like a deft archaeologist excavates the historic musical elements that are still reinvented, authentic and can relate to people’s lives in the here and now
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7.4
118088
7.4 |
Beats Per Minute
We’re left with the knowledge that beneath his larger-than-life persona, Thundercat has a giant heart, and It Is What It Is is the best display of his enormous empathy yet, even if it does have a few unnecessary goofs along the way
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7.4
118050
7.4 |
Pitchfork
Three years after his 2017 opus *Drunk,* Bruner returns with more fleet-fingered jams and abstracted musings, this time a little more unpolished
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7.0
118079
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
Guests including Childish Gambino and Flying Lotus help the adventurous bass player/singer/songwriter/producer create a powerful LP
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6.0
117999
6.0 |
The Observer
Mood and mode fluctuate wildly on an album that finds the jazz virtuoso meditating on the death of a close friend
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6.0
118000
6.0 |
The FT
A mellow soundscape of funk, jazz and hip-hop fluctuates between flippant and serious tones
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6.0
117899
6.0 |
Loud And Quiet
The majority of the album’s minutes are filled with gorgeous musicianship and compelling lyrics, but the album never recovers from its lacklustre middle section. It is what it is
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