King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – K.G. (From the Vault)
hey folks, welcome to some discography reviews. i’ve been writing music reviews for some friends in a discord server for a few years now in various forms, but i figured i’d like to get them all in a more centralized space, so here we are! this first series of reviews is a review of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s discography, starting in 2011 with Willoughby’s Beach and running right into 2021 with Butterfly 3000. this review was originally written in September 2021.
K.G. is technically the first half a double album (and part 2 of 3 ((so far)) of the microtonal tuning experiments, the first being 2017’s Microtonal Flying Banana), released in late 2020, deep in quarantine, to be finished the next year –
KGLW is nice transitionally and as an introduction, but Automation is fucking great. i honestly think about “join the last migration / it’s fun, fuck the system” all the fucking time. Minimum Brain Size grew on me FAST. really liked this one. this song doesn’t bother me quite as much as like, a song like NOFX’s The Idiots Are Taking Over does, lyrically, and i can’t quite put a finger on why. it might just be the emphasis on greed and selfishness, rather than like, folks that aren’t intellectual and have kids, which is what some of those other songs feel like. honestly though “Himpathetic bro / You’re weaker than you know” might be such a vivid picture of the exact person they’re talking about, haha. feel kinda middling on Straws In the Wind. i think the lyrics are great, feels very appropriate tbh (and def get the vibes given like, the events that would have triggered this type of stuff), but dunno. Some of Us kinda has some irritating parts (sometimes the effect on the vocals rubs into the fuzz on the guitar in a way i’m not a fan of), but it mostly clears up after the first minute or so. Ontology starts with this really cool melody and rhythmic build up, it’s such a dense bit of sound, and then it opens right up into the swell, this one really warmed up to me on the second or third listen. the false end in the middle is kinda weird, but on the whole really liked this track. i’ve read a bit on the band’s opinion on Intrasport which is HILARIOUS. Instrasport’s got a nice, dark, pulsing undertone that’s got some great energy here in the back half of the album. the “wagga wah, wagga wagga wah” of the guitar’s really cool on this track, with the synth melody that slowly plays out around it. Oddlife is an interesting track for sure. i like songs about touring and bandlife – bands are so rarely willing to write songs about it even though it’s like, everything that they do (probably since it’s way less relatable than basically any other topic). last minute here, starting with “No concept of geography”, absolutely shines beautifully and is great. Honey is such a bright warm track, it’s so, so sweetly optimistic, and the instrumental breaks slap. i’m big on this one. The Hungry Wolf of Fate is definitely gets an interesting listen as the ending of the album. the deep, building fucking bass here swells and fades, this feels very much like their feelings about making so many albums, haha. fitting that it’s the middle of the double album.
faves – Automation, Minimum Brain Size, Ontology, Intrasport, Honey
dislikes –
Some of Us, you’re on thin fucking ice. the rest of you, great job. this was a real nice way to step back into the microtonal space, and a lot of these songs brings so really nice, creative energy to a group of sounds that largely hang in way more chill and laid back spaces. i don’t think i have too much else to say here, since the mixing and musical performances are all really smooth and have just enough fuzz to feel rosy. leaves me extremely excited for L.W.
K.G. – 8/10
and speaking of, the next post is gonna be covering the other half of this, L.W.
support the band by buying this record on Bandcamp
first: Willoughby’s Beach | previous: Infest the Rats’ Nest | next: L.W.
Discussion ¬