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King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - K.G. CD (album) cover

K.G.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

 

Psychedelic/Space Rock

3.83 | 109 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

dougmcauliffe
4 stars King Gizzard returns off the back of two 2019 releases. One of which I loved a lot, Infest the Rats Nest, and Fishies for Fishies which I thought was just alright. As this album got hyped up and singles were dropping I started to get a bit nervous cause I found that I was a little lukewarm on the songs that were coming out. After finally getting to sit down and give the album several spins, my worries and expectations were absolutely shattered. This album is fantastic! As usual we get a set of great songs with memorable hooks, riffs, on top of a nice, comfortable runtime. However, on this album I find the songs.... especially good, even for their already high standards. They cover a multitude of styles expanding on the previous venture into microtonal experimentation, which happens to be my favorite King Gizzard album. All the tracks flow into one another creating a very satisfying and fulfilling listen when taken in as a single piece of music. The thing I really like about this as well is that they actually put a lot of effort into the transitions and every song typically delivers something fresh and interesting as it gets ready to head into the following track. From a production standpoint I think this is their strongest yet, the album is pure ear candy and they sound as full and as dialed in as they ever have. This is probably their most psychedelic release in a long time, however the elements of metal and prog they've picked up over the last few years are very much present. I love the 3-punch combo this album opens up with. You got the menacing "K.G.L.W" which sets the dusty middle eastern mood kicking right into the heavy and headbanging "Automation" which just kicks ass! One thing I find within this album is that there is a greater emphasis on the grooves and the drum sound just packs so much punch, there's a lot of awesome odd times in the mix as well. Automation flows right into "Minimum Brain Size" which keeps the energy going and offers some nice breathing room before kicking into a sweet jam at the 2:45 mark. I'm not sure whose singing on this track, but I really dig the softer and more melodic vocals on this one. "Straws in the Wind" was one of the singles that flew over my head and like the others, it really sounds so much better in the context of the album. It has a real trancy feel to it with pretty punchy acoustic guitar playing throughout. There's also some sweet heavier psychedelic sounds coming through in the latter half. The next track, "Some of Us," is a really sludgy venture that hits you with an awesome wall of melting riffage and melodic guitar/vocal lines. The distorted clavinet playing at the end is just so damn cool. It's after this song where the album really takes off for me packing what are probably my three favorite tracks in succession. "Ontology" is a super groovy, driving and mesmerizing track. The main instrumental hook is a harmonica-led celebratory ear worm that alternates comfortably between 7/4 and 6/4. In the last minute and change of this track it hits you with a nasty hypnotic guitar solo. "Intrasport," which seem to be the most talked about track is another favorite of mine. I love the electronic instrumentation, vocal effects and dance-like grooves within it. Towards the middle it sort of fizzles out and strips down before slowly building back up and dropping right back into the main motif delivering an awesome payoff. "Oddlife" follows this and it's incredible. It's super hypnotic and once again, the drum parts sound great. Especially as they're overlaid with crisp psychedelic instrumentation and effects. This song is particularly dense, there's so much going on and I find myself constantly picking up on new details upon every relisten. "Honey" was my favorite of the singles and I still really enjoy it. It's a pretty simple song, but it's very pleasant and warm with memorable bass work in the mix. Closing the album is "The Hungry Wolf of Fate" and it is FILTHY! Wow! The riffs and guitar tones are totally face-melting, and the contrast between soft and heavy in this track creates a really satisfying dynamic. Even during the quieter sections, you can feel something brooding bubbling beneath the surface. The song ascends during the final minute with a illegally heavy playout closing out the album.

This album has really blown me away. As I said before, Flying Microtonal Banana has been my favorite King Gizzard album since I first heard it and without a doubt in my mind, I believe this is a very worthy follow-up. It's still too soon to call, but this is already one of my favorite King Gizzard albums. Who knows? Maybe it'll even take the crown... but i'd have to do some revisiting to say something like that for certain. K.G. doesn't tread the same water as FMB, rather it explores different sounds with instrumentation that just happens to be microtonal, and that's its greatest strength. A very comfortable 4 stars!

dougmcauliffe | 4/5 |

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