King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard

[chalkpie]

https://www.stereogum.com/2270226/ki...ght-b741/news/

new album August 9th called Flight b741.

[dropforge]

That cover rules!

[JAMOOL]

cute!

[chalkpie]

Been riding a nice King Gizz wave for the past few weeks. Awesome shit.

[runciblemoon]

I got really into them circa 2017 when they put out five albums in one year - there was something quite thrilling about that whole endeavour, and there was lots of speculation at the time as to whether or not they would actually manage to pull it off. I'll admit I've found my attention drifting a little in recent years, but I admire their restlessness and work ethic. You'd certainly struggle to find a band having more fun right now.

Absolutely killer live band as well - do not pass up the opportunity to catch them if they're ever in your patch.

[chalkpie]

Very well-made video explaining this band (albeit three years old now).

[chalkpie]

Polygondwanaland is flippin great. I had listened to it a few times but wasn't in the right headspace apparently. Stuff like Nonagon and PetroDragonic were immediate but this wasn't. Now it's hitting hard.

I've really been diving hard into this band - honestly the only album I don't not totally dig is the new one Flight b741. It may grow on me but it seems too bland by their standards. I don't go to this band for 70's blues/The Band/country pastiches. But many of their other albums kick major ass! Some of my top favs right now:

Float Along (pysch)
Oddments (awesome surf, psych, pop)
Mind Fuzz (prog pysch, Krautrock-esque)
Nonagon Infinity (fucking amazing!)
Flying Microtonal Banana (fucking amazing!)
Murder of the Universe (crazy, dark prog epic)
Sketches/Brunswick (jazzy, Canterbury-esque?)
Polygondwanaland (prog, Gong-esque?)
Fishing for Fishies (bluesy yet eclectic)
Infest the Rats Nest (killer prog thrash)
Live in San Francisco '16 (killer set, Nonagon heavy)
LG/KW (cool, eclectic microtonal albums)
Omnium Gatherum (Phenomenal eclectic collection)
PetroDragonic (fucking amazing!)

The others are good-to-great. I will see how Flight b741 sits after a while. I am still digesting stuff, especially The Silver Cord, Butterfly 3000, live stuff. I'm a bit surprised that this band doesn't hit harder around these parts - I find them really fresh in a "genre" that can get stale and samey. I had no idea about The Gizz until last summer. My son and I are doing this exploration together and it's great fun.

[runciblemoon]

New album's a fun listen, but probably destined to be one of their less significant releases, IMO.

Because it's either this or do some actual work on a friday afternoon (ha!), here is my DEFINITIVE (i.e. entirely subjective) King Gizz studio albums tier list:

Not for me:

• 12 Bar Bruise (2012)
• Oddments (2014)
• Made in Timeland (2022)

OK, but not a personal favourite:

• Paper Mâché Dream Balloon (2015)
• Butterfly 3000 (2021)
• The Silver Cord (2023)

Good for the occasional spin:

• Eyes Like the Sky (2013)
• Murder of the Universe (2017)
• Infest the Rats' Nest (2019)
• Flight b741 (2024)

Rock solid:

• Float Along – Fill Your Lungs (2013)
• Sketches of Brunswick East (2017)
• Fishing for Fishies (2019)
• L.W. (2021)
• PetroDragonic Apocalypse (2023)

Firm favourite:

• Quarters! (2015)
• Gumboot Soup (2017)
• K.G. (2020)
• Omnium Gatherum (2022)
• Laminated Denim (2022)
• Changes (2022)

Close to perfection:

• I'm in Your Mind Fuzz (2014)
• Nonagon Infinity (2016)
• Flying Microtonal Banana (2017)
• Polygondwanaland (2017)
• Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava (2022)

I've popped the ones that I think ought to be of particular interest to prog enthusiasts in bold. Italics means steer clear if you're not into metal.

Whatever way you slice it, it's a very impressive body of work from a still relatively young band. If you're reading this and you don't know where to start, just dive right in with Polygondwanaland. You've got nothing to lose. It's literally free.

[Klonk]

You're a fan!

I like your last two group lists, but because I love my metal I'd add PetroDragonic Apocalypse to 'close to perfection' and Infest the Rats Nest to 'firm favorites'

It's hard to keep up with these guys, but man they are fun. I still haven't listened to Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and lava yet for some reason. I need to get to that one. by the time I do though, they may have 3 more releases out

[chalkpie]

You're a fan!

I like your last two group lists, but because I love my metal I'd add PetroDragonic Apocalypse to 'close to perfection' and Infest the Rats Nest to 'firm favorites'

It's hard to keep up with these guys, but man they are fun. I still haven't listened to Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and lava yet for some reason. I need to get to that one. by the time I do though, they may have 3 more releases out

I haven't dug into Lungs, Mushrooms, and Pizza just yet. One of the reasons I like this band is that most of their albums don't have a lot of improv on them - It keeps this band tight and the albums flowing.

The Saturday night stream from NYC (Forest Hills) was stellar, aside from the terrible hum. What Ambrose did during "Billabong Valley" was beyond hilarious!

[chalkpie]

Amazing drum cover of "Dragon".

[runciblemoon]

You're a fan!

I like your last two group lists, but because I love my metal I'd add PetroDragonic Apocalypse to 'close to perfection' and Infest the Rats Nest to 'firm favorites'

Definitely a fan! I hopped on board circa Nonagon Infinity and have kept an eye on them ever since. One of the joys of them being so prolific and stylistically scattershot is that it really takes the pressure off a new album release. If I don't dig a new King Gizz album I'm not thinking "man, they've lost it", I just shrug and think "well, there'll be another completely different one in three months, so hopefully I'll like that one better".

Totally get where you're coming from when it comes to PetroDragonic and Infest... Those albums 100% succeed on their own terms, I just find them a little relentless for my tastes. I prefer it when they intersperse the crunchy, heavy shit with lighter/groovier stuff.

It's hard to keep up with these guys, but man they are fun. I still haven't listened to Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and lava yet for some reason. I need to get to that one. by the time I do though, they may have 3 more releases out

Most likely! Definitely worth a go, IMO.

I haven't dug into Lungs, Mushrooms, and Pizza just yet. One of the reasons I like this band is that most of their albums don't have a lot of improv on them - It keeps this band tight and the albums flowing.

That is fair, but we're hardly talking Phish levels of jam wankery here. It's more about just finding a groove and letting it flow and breathe a little more than usual. If you like "The Dripping Tap" from Omnium Gatherum then you'll have a good time with it.

[arturs]

If you're reading this and you don't know where to start, just dive right in with Polygondwanaland. You've got nothing to lose. It's literally free.

Just did this... And, yes, Polygondwanaland seems like a very good album upon first listen.

I checked out their full discography on Wiki, and this note about Poly made me laugh out loud:

Formats: Free digital download, LP, CD, cassette, 8-track cartridge, reel-to-reel, lathe cut, Floppy disk (MP3 8 Kbps), MiniDisc

Are they just yanking our chains or did they really put this out on 8-track??

[runciblemoon]

Just did this... And, yes, Polygondwanaland seems like a very good album upon first listen.

I checked out their full discography on Wiki, and this note about Poly made me laugh out loud:

Formats: Free digital download, LP, CD, cassette, 8-track cartridge, reel-to-reel, lathe cut, Floppy disk (MP3 8 Kbps), MiniDisc

Are they just yanking our chains or did they really put this out on 8-track??

Haha! They didn't, but somebody did. Discogs currently lists 396 different releases in total...

[arturs]

Haha! They didn't, but somebody did. Discogs currently lists 396 different releases in total...

What a brilliant way for a young up-and-coming band to get their product into as many markets as possible as quickly as possible.

From the band's blurb on the Discogs page: "This album is FREE. Free as in, free. Free to download and if you wish, free to make copies. Make tapes, make CD’s, make records. Ever wanted to start your own record label? GO for it! Employ your mates, press wax, pack boxes. We do not own this record. You do. Go forth, share, enjoy."

[chalkpie]

^ This band is one GINORMOUS rabbit hole. One of the most fun honestly in recent memory for me.



Horology Suite (from Polygondwanaland) from last night's gig in Cleveland.

[Vic2012]

Never heard of 'em, but sounds like a psychotic, Southern Rock band.

[Kcrimso]

I've heard maybe five albums from the band. So far, none of them have particularly inspired me. The most recent one seemed particularly boring.

[chalkpie]

I've heard maybe five albums from the band. So far, none of them have particularly inspired me. The most recent one seemed particularly boring.

I'd be curious to know what albums you have spun so far...

Flight b741 is definitely my least favorite KG album so far, so I wouldn't judge them based on that one.

[Kcrimso]

I'd be curious to know what albums you have spun so far...

Flight b741 is definitely my least favorite KG album so far, so I wouldn't judge them based on that one.

These:

Flight b741
The Silver Cord
PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation
Omnium Gatherum
Infest the Rats' Nest

[spacefreak]

These:

Flight b741
The Silver Cord
PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation
Omnium Gatherum
Infest the Rats' Nest

To my ears they are all over the place and their material does not hold very well. My advise is to listen to their I'm In Your Mind Fuzz, Nonagon Infinity, Flying Microtonal Banana and Polygondwanaland albums. If these don't satisfy you, then they're not for you.

[zombywoof]

^ This band is one GINORMOUS rabbit hole. One of the most fun honestly in recent memory for me.



Horology Suite (from Polygondwanaland) from last night's gig in Cleveland.

I was there !

[chalkpie]

^ Whaaaaat??!! Spill the beans, please!

[zombywoof]

^ Whaaaaat??!! Spill the beans, please!

It was awesome. They played a new arrangement of "Muddy Water" and my friend was looking at me expectedly because its my favorite song of theirs. When it hit me, I was filled with joy.

The heavier stuff wasn't my thing at first but seeing it live must've had an effect on me cuz I LOVE "Superbug" now. I'm a casual fan at best but the show tipped the scale into fanaticism. Been playing many of their albums since, mostly on streaming, but I have two on vinyl. Another (brave) friend of mine was in the pit and she swiped the setlist. I'll share a photo privately. Been riding high and haven't really come down since.

[chalkpie]

^ I had no idea you were a fan of these guys, Ian! Mike Lieto and I (and my son) have been digging KGLW since last summer and loving them. At first I was a non-believer and thought "How could THAT much music being produced be.... good?". I thought maybe it was just noodling improvisation...damn was I wrong. For my money they are one of the most extraordinary bands I've discovered in the last 10 or so years. The 2017 album run alone is just insane.

"Superbug" is super cool! Infest, Universe, and Petro have all grown on me - I love the thrashy flavor they inject. Like I said before, the newest one is not my cuppa thus far, but otherwise I find stuff to latch onto with every album. I listen to a lot of "serious" music, but these guys have injected a healthy dose of fun in my listening, which is sometimes lacking. They aren't far off from FZ in that aspect. Woooo!