The now seven piece, King Gizzard and Lizard Wizard, became one of the most interesting and possibly most underrated rock bands of the last decade. Within the time of their inception, they are now on their 16th studio album!??! Not only is their non stop releases impressive but the quality that the aussie band can achieve at times is outstanding. The most wacky band in the world have now released another record, which is the second album in their microtonality volume of work. It is for sure an impressive LP as ever by the Aussies but does it match up to their finest work? Possibly not.
‘K.G.L.W’ stands as the opener to the microtonality album, the sequel to their first album that focused on the type of ‘unwestern’ tuning. It’s slightly unhinging due to the tuning but the instrumental choices make this instrumental opener a great beginning to the LP.
‘Automation’ is essentially the unofficial start after the instrumental and was one of the singles we heard prior to the release of the album, sadly it was not one that blew everyone away. As the second track within the record, it does become more of its own thing and guides us as the fuller starter very well. It’s filled with classic King Gizzard bells and whistles, the distortion is great to hear again in some fresh music.
‘Minimum Brain Size’ is similar in its objective as the previous track, yet is has more room rhythmically compared to the later. The looping riff is infectious and the slight whispering nature on the vocals are a nice touch, weirdly the song really steps another level in the last third of the track. Though I will go back to the first comment about the song, the familiarity of this song and at times the whole record, could be seen as rare weakness for a King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard album.
Following on we have ‘Straws in the Wind’ which is an acoustic guitar and sitar number, creating such a majestic sound alongside with some solid drumming. Melody wise it doesn’t match up to what it could of been, it unpleasantly leaves you wanting more from this song. ‘Some Of Us’ offers something more fulfilling, with the reverb vocals and some woodwind instruments taking the song to a Gizzard Wizzard world, that showcases how the Aussie band are just so far away from their rock counterparts. It’s a bizarre moment with the off piano chord playing, their sheer craziness does make them so loveable for fans.
‘Ontology’ has the sharp and manic ‘wooo’ that I associate with K.G.L.W and it greets us in such an intense way. Suddenly, a driving rhythm guitar goes along until an odd parade brass section delivers a big hoorah for the chorus. It really feels like we are on some mad parade, are we on something while watching Mary Poppins?
What is so needed for this record is the shift on ‘Intrasport’. The drum machine and sluggy like synths gives the record a very 90’s dance dynamic. The house like song is really a lot of fun and feels so refreshing, honestly a great surprise that gives you that boogie urge. ‘Oddlife’ is then a crossbreed of the previous song and the typical sound of the LP, with some nice touches like the strings and piano interludes, making this all so dreamy and spacey. It feels like we are gliding through a starry galaxy with a classic Gizzard riff for good measure.
Again to be a party pooper…does it stand out? No. But this record mostly does not challenge the best work by them, which can be either annoying or something you don’t want to dwell on too much.
‘Honey’ however though goes against what I just previously said. This is clearly the moment of the album that could go up against the bands amazing work, its a fantastic song that came out at a time that made us feel like we could enjoy the outdoors again (twas released during lockdown). The song itself is acoustic based with a great bass line with a African rhythm to it. It flows so beautifully like we are being taken down a small river to somewhere tranquil.
'The Hungry Wolf of Fate' is the finale to the record and oh boi, it is a long one. Filled with loud and bombastic sounds to wave us off, it is one that does test you! Though it has it silent moments, making it feel like we are following some sort of story as it grows and shrinks. In truth it doesn’t really grab my attention and reinforces that this record will not match up to the heights this band can achieve. Which I admit is hard and most other acts would only dream writing a record that is indeed as solid as ‘K.G’.
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