Journeying Through the Discography of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Nonagon Infinity opens the door!
If you were like me mere weeks ago, you have heard of the name King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and maybe you have even listened through Nonagon Infinity once. However, the depth AND breadth of their work may have overwhelmed you. You struggled to find a handhold to cling to during the shrieks and reverb. However I’ve learned now, after listening to all of the Aussie psych, electronic, western, folk, jam, blues rock band’s albums, the best way to get through is to simply open the door.
EP 1: Willoughby’s Beach [2011]
Technically an EP, by the band’s definition, the record opens up with the straight-forward “Danger $$$”, a garage punk song infused with Flaming Lips-esque psych intermingling and multi-instrumentalist Ambrose Kenny Smith’s wailing harmonica. Things don’t change much from here as this is easily the band’s most straight-forward record. The pop sensibilities stick out a lot to me here and they sound almost like Cage the Elephant at times, but with a bit more texture. However, songs Stoned Mullet lack enough of a punch to make this a consistent debut and when there’s filler on an already short and simple project, it hurts the score a bit. A really promising debut that has vague promises of future genius.
Favorite songs: Danger $$$, Black Tooth, Let it Bleed, Crookedile
Least Favorite Songs: Dustbin Fletcher, Stoned Mullet
Rating: 7/10
Album 1: 12 Bar Bruise [2012]
The band’s full-length debut is a kick-ass collection of high-energy, eclectic, punky pop rock. Opening with “Elbow”, a song that has a straight-forward skeleton, with tons of overlapping textures and shoutable lyrics, this album tells you exactly what it wants to do — until it doesn’t. Everything essentially follows that pattern with three really strong songs and we come to one of the oddballs — the title track. Famously recorded on several iphones, it’s a hazy fog of a ballad, foreshadowing the band’s future experimentation with the recording process. We then come to “Sam Cherry’s Last Shot”, an obvious precursor to the next record. It is the band creating a Western instrumental tableau over Ambrose’s father reading an excerpt from a Western novel. Shortly after, comes “Cut Throat Boogie”, an absolutely buck-wild song ultimately driven by Ambrose’s harmonica and vocals. It rules. Some of these songs feel like Ariel Pink cuts in a weird way. This is a really strong album until the last couple tracks where it loses a tremendous amount of steam for me. But overall an incredible debut.
Favorite Songs: Elbow, Muckraker, Cut Throat Boogie, Uh Oh I Called Mum
Least Favorite Songs: High Hopes Low, Sea of Trees
Rating: 8.5/10
Album 2: Eyes Like the Sky [2013]
What an absolutely buckwild way to follow up a strong debut. By having your harmonica player’s father write a Western novella and read it over your instrumentals. I think the record is largely successful, with the opening track creating an incredible atmosphere. “The Goat Man’s Lust” is a snarling, dangerous song that promises evil. I love the whistling melody on “The Killing Ground” and I actually really like the instrumentals on “Guns and Horses.” However the story gives no payoff. I don’t mind literature that asks the reader to put a little leg-work in on the end, but it feels totally unsatisfying on a story that seems to promise satisfaction. I also wish the band would have put more of their own distinct sound in the record. At times it is too plainly Western. Really, Eyes Like the Sky is a really interesting experiment that sticks enough of the landing to be considered well-made.
Favorite Songs: The Goat Man’s Lust, The Killing Ground, Eyes Like the Sky
Least Favorite Songs: Year of Our Lord, Guns and Horses
Rating: 6/10
Album 3: Float Along — Fill Your Lungs [2013]
This is where the good shit starts. We open up with the killer “Head On/Pill” that clocks in at an incredible 16 minutes 1 second and is the strongest indicator for the future music the band will make we’ve gotten yet. Eastern tinged psych rock with high concepts of drug-induced disembodiment with lots of repetition from front man Stu Mackenzie. The next track dies down and we get a soulful little ditty where Stu and Ambrose exchange vocals in “I’m Not a Man Unless I Have a Woman.” The next song, “God Is Calling Me Back Home” demonstrates their penchant for establishing a singable, easy melody (often with dark lyrics) and then expounded upon that until the song has morphed entirely. But the prize of the record really is another Ambrose-driven track, “Let Me Mend the Past” which sounds like a bunch of white guys on acid made a Sam Cooke song. It’s really good. The significance of this album really comes from the way it points to the potential of KGATLW. Things that detract from its overall ranking are really just that it’s less ambitious and complex than their future records. Their lyrics are still a bit uninteresting at this point in the band’s life, but it’s an excellent ~true follow-up~ to 12 Bar Bruise.
Favorite Songs: Head On/Pill, God Is Calling Me Back Home, Let Me Mend the Past, Pop in my Step
Least Favorite Songs: Mystery Jack, 30 Past 7
Rating: 7.5/10
Album 4: Oddments [2014]
Oddments is a collection of B-sides. Therefore, it lacks the grandiose vision a lot of Gizzy albums have and doesn’t have a real thematic or sonic thread. But what it does have is “Alluda Majaka”, which rules. It’s a 3 and a half minute jam featuring horse noises and organs and straight up grooves. “Stressin’” is a hazy and soulful guitar driven track with some of Stu’s most delicate vocals yet. “Vegemite” is a meme song that is actually pretty fun, but offers not much than a chuckle. “It’s Got Old” is a fun hand-clapping ditty with some exceptional harmonica playing. I’d like to stop here for a moment and applaud the band for always finding a way to include the instrument in a way that never causes me to roll my eyes. Like, it ALWAYS FITS. “Work This Time” remains Gizzy’s most popular song on Spotify and I don’t really get it. It’s cool and smokey and the absolute most interesting song I’d ever nap to, but there’s better work on this record alone. I do want to stress how great of a song it is though. And from here it’s kind of downhill until “Homeless Man in Adidas” which is a cozy, existential meditation. A pretty inconsistent record with several songs that feel like a joke and several songs that are incredible. It’s Oddments.
Favorite Tracks: Alluda Makaja, Work this Time, Homeless Man in Adidas
Least Favorite Tracks: Crying, Pipedreams, Hot Wax
Rating: 5/10
Album 5: I’m In Your Mind Fuzz [2014]
The first masterpiece of the band. Opening with a 4 track medley that preambles Nonagon Infinity’s spiraling motif-filled circling, the album grabs your attention with grooving, up-beat songs about mind control. The highlight really is “Cellophane” which is the goofiest of the four. This is considered the first of the “Gizzverse” albums — a concept that the band’s later albums all operate within a shared universe — something I’m far too dumb to delve deep into at this point and “Hot Water” musically shows this as its riff is featured in future records. And the final four songs are an almost perfect way to finish the album. “Am I In Heaven” is part face-melter, part campfire song and one of their finest songs yet. “Slow Jam 1” is a vaguely latin-sounding aptly named slow jam that builds upon and improves previous albums’ slower cuts. Satan Speeds Up has such a catchy, weird, Ariel Pink-esque riff and wonderful choruses where Stu sounds like an angel offering you the next blunt hit. “(Her and I)Slow Jam 2 may be their catchiest song yet. What a record.
Favorite Tracks: I’m In Your Mind medley, and the last four tracks
Least Favorite Tracks: Empty, Hot Water
Rating: 9/10
Album 6: Quarters [2015]
Quarters is a weird one. A concept album where 4 tracks, all 10:10 long swirl, evolve, and grow around one another. “The River” is a fan-favorite, free-wheeling masterclass. “Infinite Rise”, probably my least favorite track on this record, is a lazy little melody that doesn’t change quite enough but the cat sounds are a lot of fun! “God is in the Rhythm” is an absolutely gorgeous waltz with an incredible middle instrumental section. Like, breathtaking shit. Honestly, by the time I hit “Lonely Steel Sheet Flyer” I’ve checked out a bit, which is really the records biggest flaw for me. There’s just not enough for me to hold onto. The album is too flimsy, too much cloud not enough tangibleness — is that a word? idk. It has moments of genius, but it really just isn’t for me.
Favorite Tracks: The River, God is in the Rhythm
Least Favorite Tracks: Infinite Rise, Lonely Steel Sheet Flyer
Rating: 6.5/10
Album 7: Paper Mâché Dream Balloon [2015]
This shit right here? This shit right here??? Phew! Starting out with an absolutely incredible 4 song run opening with the sensual “Senses” — a groovy little bop that I can listen to all day long. The acoustic instrumentation really shows off how wonderful of songwriters Stu and co. are as well. The flutes on the title track are mesmerizing, the percussive “Trapdoor” is a great pace change, “The Bitter Boogie” — wow. Even the strangely captivating “NGRI Bloodstain” is an absolute foot stomper. I really love how this record goes from these lovely acoustic/flute elevator music to these off-kilter goofy bar-room, Western bops. The big lull comes towards the end. The final 3 tracks are pretty uninteresting. Paper Mache is actually a really cool concept and cudos to Stu for being so willing to take a flute and put it front and center like he does, but after “Bloodstain” I’m ready to turn the record off.
Favorite Tracks: 1–8
Least Favorite Tracks: 9–12
Rating: 8.75/10
Album 8: Nonagon Infinity [2016]
It almost feels pointless to write about. It’s an experience. It is so unbelievably good and rich and catchy. They never abandon the concept for a poppy chorus or avant-garde experimentation, but they never abandon the pop sensibilities for the concept. “Robot Stop” is the flagship Gizzy song, “Mr. Beat” is an absolute ball, “Evil Death Roll” is a balls-to-the-wall motorcycle ride, and “Wah Wah” is so endearing. Man. The only real song that I find uninteresting is “Road Train” and I have to forgive it because they do have to find their way back to the starting line. This is a genius work and nearly perfect.
Favorite Tracks: All of them
Least Favorite Tracks: Road Train
Rating: 9.99/10
Album 9: Flying Microtonal Banana [2017]
The band famously revealed in 2017 that they’d be releasing 5 albums that year and most people either scoffed or grabbed a condom. The first of the 5 is one of their strongest. Flying Microtonal Banana largely focuses lyrically on climate issues and features the bands interest in microtones, small tones that are in-between the tones predominantly heard in popular music. This album is full of grooves. “Rattlesnake” is a famously catchy track. However I find the track after it, “Melting” underwhelming. “Open Water” is a bit long but undeniably groovy with tons of opportunities for belly-dancing. “Sleep Drifter” continues these Eastern vibes, but has always been a little uninteresting to me. “Billabong Valley” is a hell of a song and the record’s trademark Amby song. I really love the zurna throughout this song and the record at large. Guitarist Joey Walker has his chance to shine on the following track that features some really great riffage and super interesting lyrics about people dying of a fire without being burned to death — weird, but cool. This is a really interesting album with a unique musical style, but unfortunately it’s just not my favorite style of theirs. I prefer the proggier, psych-rock type stuff and so my ranking of it suffers due to that. I do think it is a very well-done record that’s incredibly ambitious and nails the landing.
Favorite Tracks: Rattlesnake, Billabong Valley, Anoxia, Open Water
Least Favorite Tracks: Melting, Flying Microtonal Banana
Rating: 7.5/10
Album 10: The Murder of the Universe [2017]
I think this album is really polarizing due to the absurd amount of spoken word passages performed by Leah Senior. I’m going to break up my thoughts by the three story lines, but ultimately this is really where the “Gizzverse” comes into full view. It is a metal concept album that follows 3 stories that seem to exist within the same universe.
Part One: The Altered Beast
This story is about a human brought to a strange world in which he encounters an altered bear-human beast that encourages him to allow himself to be bitten and changed into an altered beast himself. I really love the imagery in this section and it has really cool, catchy refrains. The guitar work is exceptional. It feels like you’re being beckoned into something dark.
Part Two: The Lightning Lord vs. Balrog
This story mostly is told from the perspective of a group of normal humans caught between a battle featuring a Zeus-like Lord of Lightning and a Balrog straight from Tolkien’s work. The story is pretty standard maximalist fantasy literature, but the highlight really is the track “Lord of Lightning” which is so fun. Gizzy’s usual psych textures are present in a rocketship metal track that even has some Nonagon references. The lyrics are so fun and it really feels like their take on metal. I always have appreciated that while they genre hop a lot, it never feels like they’re imitating bands.
Part Three: Han-Tyumi, The Confused Cyborg
Ugh. Han-Tyumi. I think it’s a really fun and cool sci-fi concept, but it’s just a slog to get through. “Digital Black” is a really great moment, but the narration really gets old here. This story is about a cyborg who desperately craves humanity. He specifically notes that he wants to be able to vomit and die — which he eventually does by use of a “Soy-Protein Munt Machine.” Ultimately, the music takes a back seat to the concept though and I don’t think the concept or writing is quite interesting enough to carry 10 minutes of listening time for me.
Favorite Part: The Lightning Lord vs. Balrog
Least Favorite Part: Han-Tyumi
Rating: 7.5/10
Album 11: Sketches of Brunswick East (ft. Mild High Club) [2017]
The third album of 2017 for King Gizzy is a collaboration with Mild High Club, which I don’t know very well, honestly. It’s a dreamy jazzy little record that I really am not a big fan of. I think it’s largely overwhelming and lacks the energy and ambition of the band’s other albums. “Tezeta” has a really interesting ominous vibe, “The Spider and Me” is really pretty and sunny, and “The Book” has a bit more of their psych-influence in it, but besides these three tracks, I came away pretty uninterested.
Favorite Tracks: Tezeta, The Book, The Spider and Me
Least Favorite Tracks: Most of them tbh
Rating: 5/10
Album 12: Polygondwanaland [2017]
OHHHHH YEAHHHHH. Polygondwanaland is my favorite album of theirs. “Crumbling Castles” is their best song, full-stop. It’s incredible. It has a similar connection throughout that Nonagon Infinity did, but with more musical variety and stranger lyrics. The title tracks has a really worming and groovy feel, “Deserted Dunes” has a really cool deserty vibe to it and I love the touches of like, jazzy singing that come at the end of phrases every so often like at about 1:45. “Inner Cell”’s guitars almost feel like Jonny Greenwood wrote them, “Loyalty” is a show-stopper with the really intense, regal, demanding lyrics combined with the bass, synth, and drums maintaining the track’s momentum. “Horology” almost feels like Sufjan Stevens wrote a song for them with all the cascading woodwind and staccatoed vocals. Like god damn what a record. And the finale!!!! Woah!! It’s incredible.
Favorite Tracks: Crumbling Castles, Inncer Cells, Loyalty, Horology
Least Favorite Tracks: Searching I guess
Rating: 10/10
Album 13: Gumboot Soup [2017]
The final album of 2017 is a collection of songs that didn’t quite fit on the rest of the albums which does lend to a disconnected feel compared to the last 4 records, but has some of their strongest songs. “Beginner’s Luck” with its smoothhhhhhhness, “Superposition” with these really intriguing synths — a sound I’d love to hear them expand upon, “The Great Chain of Being” a hint that Infest the Rats’ Nest is coming, “The Last Oasis”’s candy-cane sweetness, “I’m Sleepin’ In” which is just a beautiful and meandering ode to shutting down for a while, capping off with the incredibly dense “The Wheel.” Here’s a tip — watch the KEXP version of this performance, it rules.
Favorite Tracks: Beginner’s Luck, The Great Chain of Being, The Wheel
Least Favorite Tracks: Muddy Water, Greenhouse Heat Death, Down the Sink
Rating: 7.75/10
Album 14: Fishing for Fishies [2019]
I was really surprised by how much I love this album. I think because it’s by far their least interesting album artwork and concept overall. It’s just a bluesy rock album about the climate. But wow are these songs really fun. I don’t really know if “Boogieman Sam” has a deeper meaning, but I really enjoy it. “The Cruel Millennial” is a really smart track about how isolating it actually is to be a millennial today, “Real’s Not Real” is so good. Like, the piano and the vocals and these swelling strings with the plinks at the end of phrases all come together to make a really sweet cry for help, accented by these incredibly bluesy, driving riffs on the outsides. I just adore this track. The album is full of these magical moments and it really is one of my favorites.
Favorite Tracks: “Real’s not Real” 10 times
Least Favorite Tracks: The Bird Song, Arcarine
Rating: 8.75/10
Album 15: Infest the Rats’ Nest [2019]
The mad men did it. A full-on metal record following their previous climate themes. This is one of those that feels difficult to think about in parts, but man it starts hot. The first three tracks are really excellent lyrically, particularly “Mars is for the Rich”, a song which calls out tech-bros like Elon Musk for continually proposing adopting another planet while ignoring the privilege of those plans. “Organ Farmer” goes balls to the wall, squealing and chugging away. “Superbug” is likely the best song on the album with really cool lyrics that seem prescient in this Covid-19 world. The riffs that start around the chorus, particularly the bass-work is so fucking good. Overall, a really great album through and through — the definition of consistent a promise to us that the band will never sit on their laurels.
Favorite Tracks: Planet B, Mars is for the Rich, Superbug
Least Favorite Tracks: Venusian 1
Rating: 8.75/10
ALBUM RANKINGS
Now that I’m this far, I would like to rank the albums based on my enjoyment of them. I recognize this may be self-indulging but I don’t care. I hope you find areas of agreement and disagreement :)
16. Sketches of Brunswick East
15. Oddments
14. Eyes Like the Sky
13. Quarters
12. Willoughby’s Beach
11. Float Along — Fill Your Lungs
10. Murder of the Universe
9. Gumboot Soup
8. Flying Microtonal Banana
7. 12 Bar Bruise
6. Paper Mâché Dream Balloon
5. Fishing for Fishies
4. Infest the Rats’ Nest
3. I’m In Your Mind Fuzz
2. Nonagon Infinity
- Polgygondwanaland
TOP 5 SONGS
5. Am I in Heaven?
4. Mars is for the Rich
3. Real’s Not Real
2. Robot Stop
- Crumbling Castles
Afterword
What a voyage. They have so many albums. Like so many. But King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have proven to their fans that they are likely the most interesting rock band in the world. Every release is worth-while, ambitious, and largely consistent. The personality, style, and care put into these songs is inspiring and I truly feel obsessed with the band now.
Altered Beast.
Alter Me.
