(A personal favorite of mine)
This album starts off with “Crumbling Castle”. It’s a smooth intro really, with some sweet licks and some hypnotic bass. Now, of all of the albums, King Gizzard have released this year so far, this is probably the truest to their nature and easily their most Psychedelic. I love the mysterious vibes to this one that makes the Psychedelic nature of this album just that much wilder. The vocals are unhinged and often seem directly on the verge of really freaking out. But the vocals stay smooth, as do the instrumentals which come off just as ready to break. The solid riffs are here, but one thing that’s a really nice addition is this sense of Progressive Rock. “Crumbling Castle” just has so much going on and just seems so vast. Now obviously, a lot of people aren’t going on and just seems so vast. Now obviously, a lot of people aren’t going to be into the idea of just sitting around for 10 minutes and letting King Gizzard really take them on a trip. But if you’re a fan of older, wilder and more intense King Gizzard, this is going to be a real, late in the year treat. But I think what really drives this one home for me is the wild and personality oozing vocals. It’s NAME at his weirdest and most bizarre, but that’s something I’m always going to go crazy for. My only slight critique is that I sort of wish that this track was a little heavier in moments. And we certainly do get a lot of freak out moment towards the end, but I wish there were more. Still, though, this is a wild start. Then we have “Polygondwanaland”, and I just love the mysterious and very dark vibe of a lot on this album. Just the way the bass on this one creeps along is so well done. With all the wild and experimental stuff King Gizzard have pushed out this year, this track is just so refreshing and lovely to hear. There are some really great harmonies, and some really pleasant instrumentals as well. While “Polygondwanaland” isn’t as throttling or hectic as usual, I think that King Gizzard actually do really well with this sound. It’s smooth, and most importantly incredibly hypnotic. It reminds me a lot of what they were doing on “Flying Microtonal Banana”, with some cleaner production. The plucked guitars and woodwinds are really nice additions as well. Overall, this track works great. By the time we reach “The Castle In The Air”, King Gizzard have really gotten comfortable, and it’s around this time that King Gizzard get really dangerous. We’re treated with the same narrator who took us through the “Murder Of The Universe” album. It’s a very rigid tune, one that seems so calculated and well thought out. The guitars are tightly wound and the vocals are haunting. Now, it may just be me, but I really feel like this is the album that I wanted King Gizzard to end this year off with. It’s a real “Back to Basics” sound but in the best way. I love just how sinister the harmonies are, and how the band has continued to keep some of these synths in their music as well. “Deserted Dunes Welcome Weary Feet” is up next, and it’s clear that when King Gizzard gets into their groove, they can seriously come out with a dangerous and exciting album that’s constantly shifting. This track is really starting to bring in a lot of the heavier and more chaotic instrumentals while keeping a lot of the haunting lyrical themes we’ve got in the past. Also, if I may, this is easily the most Psychedelic album that King Gizzard have done all year. But it’s seriously relentless, and “Deserted Dunes Welcome Weary Feet” ends up sounding like it’s alive and constantly changing. So far, this album is shaping up to be a fantastic end to an incredible year.
It’s moments like on “Inner Cell” that really make you think just how far King Gizzard have come in the last few years. Moments like this just sound so mature, yet still volatile. This one really takes a lot from the very hypnotic “Flying Microtonal Banana”, and is very rigid in performance. But that’s what actually sort of leads to this ones downfall for me. I love the vocals and lyrics to this one a lot. But instrumentally where are the vicious and throttling passages? Even more so, where are the wild vocal performances that I’ve come to know and love? “Inner Cell” is just a little tame for my liking. Then we have “Loyalty” which is so Synth heavy that I would have sworn this was made for the “Stranger Things” soundtrack. I have to say though the band really works well with the Synths. I love just how haunting and chilling “Loyalty” is, and while this one doesn’t really have too many weird or wild performances either, it works really well. It’s hypnotic and seriously twisted in a way that only King Gizzard could make happen. The vocals on this one go right through you and maybe the purest evil sounding track here, and I love every second of it. Not to mention, some of the pacing on this one is wonderful, especially in the later moments when everything gets so hypnotic. The very tightly wound guitars continue onto “Horology”, I really don’y know how King Gizzard haven’t utilized this sound in so long. But once again, this one sort of underwhelms me in it’s performance. I really don’t feel anything from the performance of NAME on this one, it’s not nearly as disturbing or psychedelic, and it certainly doesn’t seem unhinged or wild. To be honest, a whole lot of this one just sounds so wound up. There are some nice moments, like some of the later and sweeter vocal harmonies, as well as the continued focus on the synths and strangely intense drums. But outside of that, this one is flat. But King Gizzard bounce back hard with the seriously mystic “Tetrachromacy”. It’s when King Gizzard really go all out for these Psychedelic vibes and bizarre lyrics and concepts that they end up really hitting a home run. This track is just determined at being weird, but it’s tracks like this that end up sticking with me the most. I feel like listening to “Tetrachromacy”, even after listening numerous times, is just so exciting. Every time I hear this, I never really feel like I know what’s going to happen next, almost like it’s alive and has its own personality. The grooves are intense, the playing is solid, and King Gizzard really just sound like they’re in their groove, and it’s great to hear.
King Gizzard still have a ton of tricks up their sleeves. “Searching…” is easily the grimiest and darkest track here. But it’s backed up wonderfully with some seriously groove drums that have almost a World music flair. It’s groovy, it’s hazy, it’s Psychedelic, and it’s totally King Gizzard. As it rolls on, “Searching…” gets even more and more hypnotic, but remains seriously colorful (no pun intended, since by this point the album has gotten into discussing colors). I think it’s just an all around great sound for the band. And while I wish this one was a little longer or more unhinged, it’s still really well done. Then we have the finale, “The Fourth Colour”. This is basically what the entire album has been building up to. Every track that I wish was a little more unhinged, is made up for with this wild track. “The Fourth Colour” is completely off the rails and upbeat, and most of all colorful. While the vocals all around are still pretty damn smooth, let’s be honest, everything else is out of control. The guitars are constantly soloing and the drums are so intense. It’s a vibrant track that just reminds us how volatile and wild King Gizzard are. For an all out war of a tune, this one is really tough to keep track of. But it’s also incredibly fun and exciting. Hell yes.
Rating: 8.2/10
Give A Listen To: “Polygondwanaland”, “Deserted Dunes Welcome Weary Feet”, “Loyalty”, “The Fourth Colour”
Genre: Psychedelic Rock / Garage Rock
Overall Thoughts: Well what do you freakin' know, King Gizzard saved their best album of the year for last. This album really takes the best of all three albums they've released prior and meshed them together for a wild and colorful Psychedelic Rock album. It takes the hypnotic playing of "Flying Microtonal Banana", the unpredictability of "Murder Of The Universe", and "Sketches of Brunswick East"'s laid-back vibes, and brings them all together wonderfully. While I do wish one or two tracks would pick up the pace a little, this album is an absolute blast, and I can't remember the last time I had so much fun listening to King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.
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