For some reason, today I have Australia on my mind
And so, let’s take a look at an immensely prolific band (they formed in 2010 and just released album number 25! ALSO: not only did they release 5 albums in a year, they’ve done it twice so far – 2017 & 2022) that cycles through genres like few other, and goes by the fantastic name of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard.
Their styles have reached from electropop to psychedelic rock, from thrashmetal to jazz fusion, from dreamy synths to progressive metal, and even folk. If you wanted to just listen to one band and not be stuck on one style, you could definitely do worse! And all of that is not even getting into how many of their albums are concept albums; some thematically, some ‘structurally’ (Nonagon Infinity loops on itself and can basically be played in a infinite loop), and some technically (Flying Microtonal Banana plays with lots of microtonal tuning).
Stemming from Melbourne, the six (formerly, seven) members to the band have been named amongst the hardest working, touring around the world, while largely handling their own merch and management, hosting an annual festival down-under, and of course banging out one album after another.
They are amazing live, if you are into a good high-octane show – the first time I saw them live (2017?) was the first time I crowdsurfed when two friends simply lifted me up in the middle of the crowd and the masses carried me away – though, I cannot necessarily recommend sending your parents as a Christmas gift (but that’s a story for a different time ).
All of this is to say, anyway, that the band is great and warrants being checked out, but also that it’s immensely difficult to point you towards any piece of their music that really is indicative of their work overall. Sooooo here’s a few pointers:
“The River” (jazz-fusion / psychedelic rock)
“Rattlesnake” (acid rock / microtonal music)
Enjoy your trip, Owen