As some of you may know, I've recently (read: about a month or two ago) become obsessed with a little band called King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard (what a mouthful!). They have a pretty loaded discography, with a solid 26 albums since their forming in 2010. I've only listened to about 20, which I consider to be a pretty good sample size.
So, why am I writing this? Simple. I want a place where I can concisely list all of my opinions on all of their albums I've listened to. If you want, you could just consider this a crash course of their albums. If you do end up listening to an album of theirs because of this writeup, please do tell me!
[sorted in alphabetical and not chronological order. it just feels better to me that way.]
8.5/10
Good lord is this one overhated. I don't understand why, as for a debut album it comes out swinging. The sound itself is gritty and feels like chewing on some glass, but in the best way possible. The choice to record everything on four iphones in a garage is really what makes this have the personality it does, and why it could scare people away. It is the kind of thing I adore, though.
It's definitely not a beginner's album, that's for sure. But that's not really a bad thing. If you've got the constitution for it, give this one a try.
5/10
Looks like we're breaking hearts right out of the gates, huh? Yeah, even on a relisten I wasn't really a fan of this one. I did add half a point for how professional the mix is, but honestly it's just way too slow and syrupy for me. It could just be because I came into it from the mindset of someone that mostly likes artists like Machine Girl and FEMTANYL, but this just didn't do it for me. I don't care who the IRS sends, I don't like this album! /ref
If this is your favorite album, then I guess I'm sorry? I just don't really understand how this is such a fan favorite, it's just too samey. Personally, I think it'd be better as a two song release like Made In Timeland or Laminated Denim. Shanghai and 2.02 Killer Year are high points, but that's kinda it. Unfortunately, I find it aggresively mid.
edit: on a relisten this is even worse. how the fuck did this become a fan favorite. what is wrong with you people.
8/10
Okay, yeah, you motherfuckers are sleeping on this one. Why did nobody tell me this was around when I was getting into these guys?! It's one of the most well-rounded albums I've ever listened to, and an absolute delight for any psychedelically minded autists out there willing to give something new a go.
I could genuinely talk for a good hour about how good the songs are on this album, but most of my compliments are summarized in the steel chair to the back of the head of an album opener that Changes is. It's 13 minutes of pure buildup, mostly coming to a peak near the 10 minute mark when the guitars really kick in and it veers a bit closer to their more usual sound, and the layering??? The fucking layering??? This album is why god invented Australia and also probably why Tones and I was forced into existence. No good deed goes unpunished, after all.
Of course, I do have a few problems with it. It's not really an active listening experience like some of their albums, and at points it sounds like the kind of thing they'd play on an elevator in an office in the mid 50's. Not to say it's bad for that! It's just, well, bland at times. Of course, this fact also makes it a really good album to play a game or do the dishes to. Believe me, I've done that. The instrumentals are great, but they go on for a bit too long and you find yourself yearning for some kind of vocals.
Overall, I reccomend you give it a try. Even if you don't really find it engaging by my description, it's good. I promise.
also we really should bring bucket hats back. why did we get rid of those??
9/10
The style. The class. The unmitigated Cunt of it all. The fact that they let Joey sing essentially an entire song. This is what I look for in a good album. The start up is a killer hook, and oh boy does it refuse to let go. They managed to put everything I find absolutely wild into one package, and I can't help but respect the hell out of them for it.
Alas, it is kept out of a 10/10 for one reason: they never really get schnasty with it. I desire the good spice of life in my music, and it simply wasn't there, at least not to my desires. Still, it is quite good.
6/10
I'm unsure of public perception on this album, but for me it falls into the unfortunate category of 'aggressively mid'. It's just, well, too sludgy. There's just a texture to it that I can't really understand or enjoy fully. Who knows though, maybe it's better on drugs. You be the judge of that.
Much like Changes, it is a pretty good album to do other things to. I find myself putting it on in the background while cleaning or in the shower fairly often. If you find value in that, go ahead and give this one a try.
8.5/10
I have a bit of a confession to make. This was actually my first album of theirs. All the way back in the year of our lord 2023, I had checked out this album on a whim because I had only ever heard good things about it. For a year and a half, the only thing KGLW was in my mind was the people that made that one album I liked. I wish I could go talk some sense into my old self, honestly.
Regardless, I do have a soft spot for this one. The microtonality adds an extra level of metaphorical crunch to it, and adds a level of mystery that would be sorely lacking otherwise. The storytelling is incredible, though not soaring to the sheer heights of Murder Of The Universe. It's most certainly not an entry level album, but if you're looking for a mipoint between the rest of their discog and the real shit, give this a try.
10/10
Finally, we've arrived at the real cream of the crop. There will be more from here, I'm just happy to say that this is our first.
Onto the actual music, it's certainly *unique* in comparison to some of their other work, and especially in comparison to some other albums commonly associated with the gizzverse (we will get to that..), but it does absolutely have its own merit.
This album really does just have a certain essence about it that I absolutely adore, starting off with a potent energy in Fishing For Fishies all the way through to Acarine, where it goes more towards the lower energy and synthetic tone of Polygondwanaland, before politely waterboarding you in the mid 70s german club scene with Cyboogie, and I honestly can't applaud it enough for the damn rollercoaster of a journey that is.
Through and through, this is an album definitely not for the faint-hearted, but if you're up for it you should give it a try. And maybe don't play it while you're fishing.
8/10
That's one hell of a title, isn't it? Well, supposedly, it's supposed to be an abstraction of all the major musical chords, as each song uses a different one. Frankly, I don't know enough about music theory to have any concrete thoughts on this. What I do know is that it's good.
Despite how artsy and intimidating the cover art may seem, it's actually fairly easy listening. It opts for a more syrupy and slow sound, and I do quite like it. However, they never really innovate upon that sound and I personally find it to be samey as a result. Besides Ice V, there isn't really much that sticks out, which is a shame! The concept is interesting even to a music theory normie like me.
The real elephant in the room, however, is the usage of generative ai in the visuals. This may seem a bit hypocritical coming from me, but I actually don't see a problem with it. This comes from the early days of ai image and video generation, and it's clear from the videos and album art that there is genuine artistic intent behind it and it's not coming from a place of malice. It hasn't affected the score at all, and I would like to applaud them in giving an example of what artistic usage of ai can look like.
8.5/10
This is, well, certainly something. I wouldn't entirely say that it's the kind of music I'd put in my playlist, but I won't deny that it's pretty damn good.
My main compliments, however, is in the storytelling. It goes something like this:
The album starts out with some worldbuilding, dedicating the first four songs to detailing the state of the world, and it is bad. Earth has undergone some kind of climate disaster and most people live in abject poverty (think some parable of the sower type shit). The rich are looking to the stars for salvation, namely in Mars and Venus, leaving everyone else to tear each other apart for their organs and ultimately just have a bad time. And, as if to make the whole situation worse, the overuse of antibiotics has given rise to a superbug that's tearing through the population with no end in sight.
We're then met with a group of people destined for Venus, presumably set to somehow colonize it. Of course, a poorly timed solar flare hits their ship and causes them to suddenly and irreperably change course, flying directly into the sun. Another group gets sent out and they actually make the journey, but they become afflicted with some kind of madness that causes them to set themselves on fire and somehow open the gates of hell.
All in all, I do actually like this album quite a bit, I just think that it doesn't reach quite the same soaring heights as PetroDraconic Apocalypse. Still, I would reccomend it if you're in for a good story.
10/10
That's one hell of an album cover, isn't it? Well, I can say that it's a hint for what you're getting yourself into here.
Personally, I consider this to be one of their most beginner friendly albums. A foundational text of the Gizzverse, it is not. Unlike the other two albums that make up the core of the trilogy, those being Nonagon Infinity and Murder Of The Universe, I'm In Your Mind Fuzz doesn't really have much to offer in terms of story. In my idea of the whole thing, Fishing For Fishies takes this album's spot in the trilogy.
Not to say it's bad, however. It's easily one of their best and most enduring works, even to this day. In a good portion of their sets, at least one song off of this gets a play. And it's clear as to why: this album is one of the purest embodiments of their sound as a band, in both the high energy parts and the more low energy and slow ones. If you want to get into gizz much like I have, I couldn't reccomend this album more. This one used to actually be my personal favorite, but, now there is one that's better.
8.5/10
Another piece of their delightful microtonal series, K.G. offers another taste of the sounds offered up in Flying Microtonal Banana that I absolutely adore. For brevity, I'll be reviewing each half of the double release on it's own, as rating the whole thing in one go would just be far too long.
Anyways, I am in absolute love with the return to form here. Not just with the wind transitions carrying over from FMB, but with the production as a whole being very reminiscent of it. There isn't much of a story here, but I don't particularly mind. The art direction is unique, especially in the music videos, and each song brings something new to the table.
Of course, with all this variety it results in the album as a whole sounding a bit all over the place. This is only a minor complaint, though, as each song is linked to the next in a way where when you're really deep in it you can barely tell.
Overall, I find it to be a nice extension of their usage of microtonality, and if you find yourself craving more after FMB, give this a try. Who knows, you might like it.
8/10
This is the first of two releases I'll review where there's only two songs on the thing, and this is easily the weaker of the two.
The main problem here is that half the damn album is mid. Land Before Timeland just goes on for far too long, and it very easily could have been shortened without really dulling the experience of it.