Welcome again to Tales from the Turntable! Usually, I might be right here explaining one thing even from a time passed by — hardly ever ever going previous the 12 months 2000, with some exceptions. This week, I’ll be overlaying one thing ongoing. Since beginning this column, I’ve all the time wished this to be one thing extra than simply music historical past. Every so typically, I’d like to focus on an artist, not solely to plug the music I get pleasure from, however to supply suggestions to whoever occurs to be studying alongside every Friday. To begin off, I’ll be overlaying one in every of my favourite bands of all time, one which I’ve seen dwell quite a few instances and have been following for years now.
Out of Melbourne, Australia spawned a surf-punk band in mid-2010. At their genesis, members shortly clashed over their identify, with one wanting the band to be named “Lizard Wizard,” whereas one other wished “Gizzard Gizzard.” The compromise? “King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard.”
Right off the bat, the seven-piece band started recording their very own music, that includes a bluesy, blown-out model of psychedelic surf rock. Just a 12 months later, after hours of unreleased demos and recording, the band put out their first EP, “Willoughby’s Beach,” a reputation that pays homage to a neighborhood hangout spot exterior Melbourne. King Gizzard shortly ascended the rungs of underground reputation, navigating the Aussie circuit with their outlandish identify and sound.
2012 would see the group put out their debut file, “12 Bar Bruise,” that includes a barely extra polished sound. 2013 would see two albums, the spaghetti-western audiobook “Eyes Like the Sky,” and the reverb-drenched “Float Along – Fill Your Lungs.” The latter would show to be a seminal flip for his or her sound, that includes the 16-minute opener “Head On/Pill,” showcasing their capability to create longer-formed songs with ease whereas retaining issues attention-grabbing throughout the complete lower.
Around this time, the remainder of the world turned aware about King Gizzard. While Australian psychedelic rock wasn’t unknown (totally because of the bafflingly in style Tame Impala), increasingly more started to take discover of all of the improvements coming from all throughout the nation. With every forthcoming file, the group’s reputation ballooned. 2014 noticed the discharge of “I’m In Your Mind Fuzz,” that includes a side-long pop medley and way more accessible rock than what that they had been doing beforehand.
Up thus far, the band was seen principally as a novelty to these exterior Australia — a band that might solely mimic the sounds of long-forgotten 60s psychedelic rock or dated surf punk. 2015 noticed this narrative change when the band put out back-to-back idea information showcasing their untapped virtuosity and sonic selection. “Quarters!” sported 4 tracks, every ten minutes and ten seconds lengthy, mixing their retro sound with jazz fusion and sluggish jams. The lead single “The River” shortly turned a success in underground circles, partly resulting from its mesmerizing hand-animated music video.
“Paper Mache Dream Balloon” had a way more outlined idea, and have a very acoustic folks sound. The opener “Sense” turned their largest hit on the time, amassing over 32 million performs as of writing this text. 2016’s “Nonagon Infinity” was an infinite loop of blown-out, energetic punk, with every music flowing seamlessly into the following for a continuous barrage on the ear. The file established many antics the band would turn into recognized for afterward, like their inventive use of two drum units, a harmonica featured in almost each music and fixed ad-libbed “woo!” and “yup!” from lead singer Stu Mackenzie.
2017 was a pivotal 12 months for the group; initially after I deliberate to jot down this text I wished to only cowl their output in 2017, as King Gizzard would go on their most bold endeavor to this point, releasing 5 authentic studio albums in a single 12 months. Announcing their plan in November of 2016, reactions have been seemingly combined. While diehard followers (or “gizzheads,” as they’ve affectionately named themselves), welcomed the concept, many listeners feared the standard of music to come back out of such a frightening process.
2017 got here and went, and the group managed to comply with by with their promise, releasing 5 distinctive albums, nonetheless touring between releases. Genres lined included microtonal desert rock, sci-fi audiobook, laid-back jazz fusion (that includes fellow Aussie songwriter Mild High Club), complicated progressive rock and an album of leftovers that didn’t fairly make the lower. While high quality and recognition undoubtedly diverse between information, many nonetheless praised the group for following by.
In the years following, the group continued to tour and launch new music, taking part in with genres like thrash steel, boogie rock, synth-pop and hip-hop, simply to call a couple of. In a wierd case of nominative determinism, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard are simply as outlandish because the identify they proudly model themselves as. While this text hasn’t featured a lot dying, drama or turbulence, hopefully, I’ve been in a position to pique the pursuits of some of you on the market to discover extra music.
