What the hell is this? What am I listening to? I don't have a clue as to how to write about this, nor terms to assign to it, nor awareness of a genre this fits in. Such is the music of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. The act with the awful name are back with Omnium Gatherum, a double-album of rock.
Yes, this is a double-album but, really, if you were to cut off the epic opener "The Dripping Tap", it wouldn't be. However, that track, despite its length, is one of the real highlights here. A bravura showcase for the talents of these players, and a ramble through a multitude of styles, the selection sets a high point that the rest of the release struggles to reach again. That sounds harsh, but lots of Omnium Gatherum does work once you get into its odd groove. "Sadie Sorceress" and "The Garden Goblin" sound like the best bits from Zep and Yes albums dueling it out at once, while the funk-flavored "Blame on the Weather" is post-punk as played by Jethro Tull. It is, as most of this is, decidedly weird.
But that gets at the appeal of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. The band gleefully throws about a dozen things against the wall in the hope that some will stick. Some do. And for those brave and patient enough to ride out an 80-minute release like this, there are lots of moments that are cool, melodic, and memorable. Discipline is not the strong suit of these cats and kittens, but they're willing to take risks that virtually no one else is taking these days. And, in doing that, they are championing styles that were sort of not cool before. They sound cool and that's sometimes enough.
Omnium Gatherum is out on Friday. More details via the link below.
[Photo: Jason Galea]