KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD

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.

This album is probably where we first see the truly unexpected gizz experiments. Any album previously has been kinda hinted at in prior work (Like Sam Cherry's Last Shot being an Eyes Like The Sky type track), but this truly feels like a left turn in their discography, especially with what comes after. But as a left turn it's about as successful as it could be. This is on the surface a really charming acoustic pop record perfect for the summer or the like, but I'd also argue that this is some of the best songwriting king gizzard has to offer. They're really tapping into their 60s and 70s bag with lots of interesting chord progressions and lush arrangements which is really unlike them up to this point. They also manage to keep most of the tracks pretty short while still packing in so many different ideas.

While most of the tracks kinda embody the same vibe I'd say there are a few that divert from the rest and while it diminishes them a bit I still like them for what they are. I am of course talking the spooky Trapdoor and the two bluesier tracks The Bitter Boogie and N.G.R.I (Bloodstain). To a certain degree one could also add in the closer but it's more of an extended outro medley than a full track. When it comes to the rest though I'd say my favorites would probably be Bone, Dirt and Most of What I Like. They just have that sort of extra oomph and variety in their arrangements

This is pretty good 3.0

"Willoughby's Beach" is the second EP recording by Australian, Melbourne based experimental music act King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. The EP was independently released in October 2011. Featuring 9 tracks and a total playing time of 22:52 it´s King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard´s first longer release and it´s obviously also a more professional and varied release than the earlier recordings by the band.

Stylistically the material on "Willoughby's Beach" however follows in the footsteps of the psychedelic/garage/surf rock style of the preceding releases. The sound production on the EP is just of a slightly better sound quality than the rehearsal room quality recordings of the earlier releases, although definitely still a bit on the lo-fi side of recordings. The material is nothing out of the ordinary for the genre, and although King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are obviously a well playing band, they didn´t produce music at this point which made them stand out or be noticed. A 2.5 (50%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

"Teenage Gizzard" is a compilation album by Australian, Melbourne based experimental music act King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. The compilation was independently released in December 2020. It features 10 tracks and a total playing time of 29:17 minutes. All tracks are culled from the earliest releases by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. All material from Their two 2010 singles, the material from the 2011 "Anglesea" EP, the non-album single track "Trench Foot", and the previously unreleased song "Life is Cool".

All tracks are stylistically psychedelic/garage/surf rock featuring a great energy and rock swagger, but also a relatively lo-fi rehearsal room sound production, which is authentic and provides the material with a raw live energy but also makes it all sound a bit chaotic and simple. The idea to release these rare early recordings is still a good one though, but just be aware that King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have evolved a lot since these early recordings. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

"Anglesea" is the first EP recording by Australian, Melbourne based experimental music act King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. The EP was independently released in May 2011. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard formed in 2010 and released two singles the same year. The title of the EP refers to the name of hometown of lead vocalist/guitarist Stu Mackenzie.

Stylistically the four tracks on "Anglesea" more or less sound like they were recorded at the same sessions as the material found on the two 2010 singles. It´s a similar style of psychedelic/garage/surf rock, played with great energy and skill, and packed in a relatively raw and lo-fi sounding production job. It´s neither the most unique nor the most interesting music in the genre, but like the case was with the preceding single releases, there´s promise here and a 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

"Sleep / Summer!" is the second single recording by Australian, Melbourne based experimental music act King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. The single was originally an independently released CDr, which was initially released in a limited number of copies and which wasn´t initially available in a digital format. It was released in 2010. In December 2020 the two tracks from the single were included on the "Teenage Gizzard" compilation album.

The two tracks from the single sound like they were recorded at the same sessions which spawned the two tracks from the other 2010 single from King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard titled "Hey There / Ants & Bats". A raw and lo-fi recorded psychedelic rock/garage rock style with surf rock leanings is what you get here. The band are well playing and the lo-fi recording quality is not a huge issue. It actually provides the material with some nice rehearsal room authenticity. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

"Hey There / Ants & Bats" is the first single recording by Australian, Melbourne based experimental music act King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. The single was originally an independently released CDr, which was initially released in a limited number of copies and which wasn´t initially available in a digital format. It was released in 2010. In December 2020 the two tracks from the single were included on the "Teenage Gizzard" compilation album.

Stylistically the two tracks on the single are psychedelic rock/garage rock with surf rock elements. They feature a relatively lo-fi recording quality, but are still pretty well sounding and the raw sound production values actually provides the tracks with a feeling that you´re in (or maybe just outside) the room where they are rehearsing the songs. There´s definitely a live rehearsal feeling to the recordings and I wouldn´t be surprised if the tracks were recorded live in the studio.

It´s obvious from the performances that the band are well playing and although the material isn´t particularly unique at this point, there´s definitely promise of something greater here. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

It never ceases to amaze me that in a more stereotypical and monotonous era full of formulas, there are nevertheless increasingly stronger hints that music as a living force that experiences, mutates but not to adapt but to make people adapt to it, exists , only it is not fashionable or seen as in the past but you have to look for it, on the web, in stadiums, or pubs...or the Australian desert. To say that King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard fuses genres is an understatement, because in my opinion they go further. Just as the Coen brothers in cinema reinvented and reinterpreted genres, thus creating something good (at least in their early days), the Aussies have tackled psychedelia, hard rock, krautrock, progressive rock, funk, soul, pop , electronic, thrash metal...and the list goes on, in this monumental album they review three days of shows in Chicago, where they once again leave their versatility, and what may be lacking in compositional perfection or interpretive they make up for it with a free spirit full of feeling, of happiness for playing and sharing with their audience...and nothing is missing from that, always present. They have been compared to the Grateful Dead, but for me that is underestimating the Australian idosincracy, with its own personality as Peter Weir, Bruce Beresford in the cinema or Nick Cave himself have shown... and this great little universe with such diverse climates It has space for everything. Because the King Guizzard challenge the listener in this era where everything has to be brief to listen to changes of rhythms, long passages that reveal meaning when crossing them, I forgot bossa nova and jazz, but far from settling, the Residency Tour, as they called This tour continues its nomadic journey, making us feel like we are there with them and the audience, being part of the work. This "Live in Chicago" leaves no album or genre unreviewed and works as a good gateway for those who don't know them, as well as an essential collector's item for those who are already lifelong members of Joey Walker's synthesizer, guitar Cook Craig, Stu Mackenzie's flute, or when they and the rest of the sextet change instruments!

A beautiful piece of hard/soft rock of 70s. It's not a masterpiece neither disruptive like Flying Microtonal Bananas or Nonagon Infinity, but this album is more acessible to general rock listeners.

I see Eagles, UFO, Fletwood Mac, Bob Dylan, even folk influences in whole album. All musics are a decent mix of a bunch recognizable pop rock pieces between 60s and late 70s.

There 2 or 3 amazing musics, maybe masterpieces, as Field of Vision and Le Risque, with a immense bluesy influence of Alvin Lee and Joe Bonamassa, absolutely stunning.

What an funny album, above medium of all thrash and junk pieces of rock that we've seen in mainstream in all last years.

Advertised as a return to the band's bluesy roots, this album is fun and energetic but also deceptively deep. The sound is reminiscent of lighthearted 70's rock (think Steve Miller, ZZ Top, or Little Feat), but the performances get uncharacteristically technical, which I find helps alleviate any boredom the tired style might cause. There's always something interesting underneath the swaggering blues harp and the tried and true 12-bar basslines. It's also a very collaborative record, with all members sharing more or less equally in lead vocals and songwriting. It all comes together in a package that sounds like one big party, a band having a great time cruising along (without ever feeling like they've set the cruise control). One could be forgiven for considering this one of their "take a breather" moments the band often slides in between more serious periods in their history (think Fishing for Fishies). But under the façade of whimsy the lyrics create as dark a concept album as KG have ever made. Each song meditates on the methods we use to endure the existential anguish that seems to define life in 2024, especially the unhealthy ones (addiction, thrill-seeking, extremism, developing online identities?). Add that lyrical depth to the retro 70's style, and the album becomes a surprisingly prescient meta-satire on escapism and its pitfalls. Will this band ever make a bad album? Maybe when pigs fly?

Track Rating: Mirage City (9) Antarctica (6) Raw Feel (9) (my personal favourite). Field of Vision (8) Hog Calling Contest (9) Le Risque (7) Flight b741 (7) Sad Pilot (8) Rats in the Sky (6) Daily Blues (8)

Overall Rating: 7.7/10, or, 4 Stars (rounding up)