King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Omnium Gatherum
after some extremely fun and exciting singles, we’re coming back to King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s newest record, a double album, Omnium Gatherum!
this album kicks off with The Dripping Tap, which i listened to quite a bit as a single. its a flawless masterpiece. it’s their newest 10+ minute jam sesh. it’s a mini Nonagon sequel. it’s my precious child. Dripping Tap good. Magenta Mountains might be my favorite track off Butterfly 3000 (this is a joke, Interior People, your shit is safe). Kepler-22b is a really fun track, very jazzy, but it kinda just washes over me pleasantly. of the two metal tracks here, i think Gaia does it for me better. there are still parts of the track i’m a little down on, but the guitar licks are great and the song has an appropriate subject matter for the tone, haha. Ambergris is a mellow track for sure – it feels like the record is shifting out of “single mode” into what ends up being a real nice run of tracks. the chorus here is really pleasant but the this is another one that just kinda washes over me, though i really appreciate the baked-in transition on this one. i was looking forward to Sadie Sorceress based on a comment from the band on twitter, and it didn’t disappoint but not in the way i was expecting. i was not expecting 90s hip hop Gizz but i did enjoy it. Evilest Man is a return to Fishing For Fishies era boogie, and damn its a fucking vibe for sure. the riffs are great and the breakdown is fantastic. The Garden Goblin is fucking weird and i love it. i read that this is a Cook Craig track written about gardening with his dog and it just has such a relentless pleasantness to it, in spite of or because of the weird vocals and drifting little synths. fun track. plus that transition straight into Blame It On the Weather, oooh! in kind of on the border on this track. its fun, its pleasant, but its not quite hooking me super hard. i expect this one to grow on me most on future listens. Persistence was the true sleeper hit for me on the record, this weird funky little track, packed to the brim with innuendo, its just fantastic. The Grim Reaper is a neat track and shows that if they do go for a hip-hop record it wouldn’t just have one sound (not that id expect it to, with them), but i’m not huge on this one. the hook is catchy but the rest doesn’t do a ton for me. Presumptuous is an excellent track, has just an excellent groove to it. it also unfortunately ends the run of tracks that i was extremely digging. Predator X i think cuts closer to Infest The Rats’ Nest which is nice and familiar but i’m just not a huge fan. Red Smoke is a nice quieter moment, with some fun bits of its own – it def makes me appreciate that on an Oddments-like record like this they know how to couch some of the more potentially disrupting tracks (this and Ambergris being the tracks that follow the metal songs here). Candles is an extremely cute little track. dreamlike and groovy in its own way. a nice gem here at the tail end of the record. this little man IS too hot to handle. The Funeral is a very smooth transition out if Candle, and feels more like an extended wind-down. nice track, if a subtle close to the record.
faves – The Dripping Tap, Magenta Mountain, Sadie Sorceress, Evilest Man, The Garden Goblin, Persistence, Presumptuous, Candle
dislikes –
had a thoroughly good time with this record. massive amount of musical variety, funny sense of humor, blazing licks and catchy hooks, and just a great package. it’s length as a double album is a boon and a bane – how else could they fit the Dripping Tap AND have as much room for everything else as they do, but also, how the fuck can i recommend almost an hour and a half of Gizz to folks.
Omnium Gatherum – 8/10
support the band by buying this record on Bandcamp
first: Willoughby’s Beach | previous: Satanic Slumber Party | next: Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava
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