Hmmmm… King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are a tricky act to pigeonhole*. I’ll begin this twisted tale with the band’s own bio, taken from their official site:
Completely fried theremin wielding psychopaths. Half originating from the flat salt bush plains of Deniliquin and the other from the sea stained Anglesea coastline. Brought together through a share house in Carlton and a mutual love of Pavement, Thee Oh Sees and Nuggets Comps.
All clear now? No? Then you’ll have to give them a listen. These guys are a seven piece, garage-fuzz, Spaghetti-western, drug-fuelled, completely great act from Melbourne. Last night, they played a secret show with a recently Tame Impala-retired Nick Allbrook. Their sound is somewhere between King Crimson, Ennio Morricone and the soundtrack to the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film.
This episodic descent into the life of Miguel O’Brien, and the circumstances that lead to him transforming into the titular ‘hero’, is a tale ripped from the pages of the dark and violent Wild West that Clint Eastwood, Franco Nero and Cormac McCarthy are well acquainted with, while the narration sounds like it’s been captured straight off a wireless – The Music
Although both this album and this band legitimately sound good, their strongest appeal comes from the fact that they are so obviously doing their own thing. Originality is not to be overlooked here! KGATLW made their debut in 2012, so it’s taken me a year to discover them, but I’m so glad I have. To me, this is the perfect example of bright, new Australian music. These guys are obviously good friends, housemates, old friends, and they’re getting together to create something that most of us have never heard before. They’re gutsy too- you don’t record and release an album like this unless you’ve got balls.
After spending much of 2012 preaching their electric live performance and unleashing their debut record, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard have hit back with proof that they’re truly a step above the rest. Inspired and a little bit wacky, Eyes Like the Sky is an example of musicians having fun with their medium, and a vital statement of their creative spark – Adam Not Eve
Having fun should also never be underrated or overlooked. I wish I was in Melbourne last night to catch them with Nick Allbrook! What a badass duo.
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*given that’s the last thing we’d ever do here at Happy to an artist Lulu yes we agree – THE HAPPY EDITORIAL TEAM OF CHIMPS
