More about: Thundercat

A decade on from the appearance of The Golden Age Of Apocalypse—the 2011 debut from L.A.-born Stephen Lee Bruner—it's easy to see the album, which launched its author's career under his now enormously successful Thundercat moniker, as something of a stepping stone; a record that would, in time, lead him on to the acclaim he's since enjoyed both as a bandleader and a collaborator.

True to this, The Golden Age Of Apocalypse perhaps lacks the pure clarity of vision seen on albums such as 2017's Drunk—but that isn't to say that Thundercat's debut lacks charm. Meshing the aesthetic innovation of MF Doom-indebted plunderphonics—at least in the case of the album's brief but thematically crucial introductory track—with the sultry funk of Prince and Parliament, The Golden Age Of Apocalypse at once seems both fresh and markedly old-school. A decade on, the album has—to some extent—been eclipsed by the developments of its successors in the Thundercat discography, but it remains a compellingly immersive collection even now.

Issued in a limited edition of 4,000 copies for Record Store Day 2021's Black Friday line-up, this luxuriant anniversary edition appears on shelves through Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder Records—the label who originally issued The Golden Age Of Apocalypse back in 2011 and who have stuck with Thundercat throughout his subsequent career. Opting to issue the album on an attractive shade of translucent red vinyl, Brainfeeder have called in the services of MPO to produce this particular reissue—and, unsurprisingly, the French pressing plant have producing an LP of outstanding quality. Sitting flat and warp-free on the platter during playback, the disc's low noise floor and tidy surfaces are free of any notable surface noise, resulting in a satisfying listening experience that only accentuates the sonic finesse of Thundercat's hazy neo-soul reveries.

As impressive as the LP itself is, however, it's surely the packaging that most astonishes with The Golden Age Of Apocalypse's tenth anniversary edition. The original cover art has been extensively redesigned, retaining its original spirit whilst enormously improving upon that same concept. The cover's central motif has been lent a stunning mirror-like finish, with a cloudy rainbow-hue that is quite unlike anything else we've ever seen in the realm of LP covers. A lustrous gold finish rounds off the cover in fine form and a high-quality printed card inner likewise sleeves the LP in commendable fashion.

A nuanced and patient debut from one of jazz-funk's most distinguished contemporary practitioners, The Golden Age Of Apocalypse reappears on shelves as one of the most lovingly-presented and resourcefully-packaged vinyl releases we've seen in some time. That the record itself—impressively mastered and well-pressed as it is—entirely lives up to the cover's distinguished precedent is testament to the quality of this tenth anniversary reissue. 

BUY THE GOLDEN AGE OF APOCALYPSE ON VINYL.

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More about: Thundercat