King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Paper Maché Dream Balloon (ATO Records)
What’s most interesting about the apparent psych revival we find ourselves in, is just how many different types of psych music there are. “Psych” is a broad term to be sure, with little stringing the genre together other than an apparent love affair with reverb and a penchant for trippy weirdness (even if that only applies to a band’s aesthetics).
It should come as no surprise – given their ridiculous name – that Melbourne, Australia’s King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard fall decidedly onto the “psych” spectrum. But while contemporary psych bands like Temples or Dungen deal largely in nostalgia, King Gizzard embodies the spirit of the genre as they experiment with pop music forms resulting in a sound that is utterly unique. Weird is indeed wonderful.
The band’s absolutely bonkers instrumentation – which includes two drummers, flutes, harmonicas, sitars, bongos and Lord knows what else – brings to mind fellow Melbournians (and similarly absurdly-named) Architecture in Helsinki.
King Gizzard’s seventh release in three years (!!) begins with the sexy groove of “Sense”, before taking a left turn towards bubblegum pop on “Bone”. “The Bitter Boogie” offers a droning T. Rex-like take on Booker T. and the M.G.s’ classic “Green Onions” riff, while “Cold Cadaver” takes a raga jam about a dead body and turns it sugary sweet.
On Paper Maché Dream Balloon, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have conceived an uncommonly creative and eclectic weirdo-pop masterpiece that begs to be played start-to-finish, over and over again.
Whatever these Aussie’s are on, it’s working.
Rating out of 5: ★★★★1/2
