PHANTOM ISLAND

The story picks up where Flight b741 left off, because Phantom Island is nothing less than its sequel. From the cover art, where the flight with the eight little pigs collided, an orchestra of lizards and fish greets them with strings and wind instruments. As Stu Mackenzie and Ambrose Kenny-Smith themselves explained, the songs on Flight b741 were more "outrageous," while those on Phantom Island were more "laid-back." However, they are more compositionally ambitious, once again entering the microtonal world, where multiple notes are used per octave. However, KWLG manages to make one listen and enjoy the music as a festive breath of fresh air, a characteristic they haven't lost since their beginnings.

The inclusion of the orchestra, along with their cocktail of psychedelia, at times recalls the band Love, but there are also progressive, funk, krautrock, and space rock. The title track introduces us to the mood, accelerating toward the end, with a very appropriate coda, which leads seamlessly into the next track, as it gives the impression of listening to an entire recording session without a break, without giving a moment to breathe.

Both Lonely Cosmos and Silent Spirit have flamenco reminiscences; Panpsych, Spacesick, and Aerodynamic reach soaring peaks of deliberately chopped rhythms, woven together in a way that makes you want to see them play them live on the 2025 tour!

Ambrose Kenny-Smith's solo album, In Times, had already foreshadowed the wonderful period they were entering with a fusion of synth-pop, blues, glam rock, and psychedelia that was as Australian as it was thrilling. As usual, KWLG, with their multiple songwriting minds, accustoms us to expecting the unexpected; as King Crimson's Robert Fripp said, it's always the same, always different.

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