Omnium Gatherum - King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Review
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
are an Australian psychedelic rock band known for both their prolific output and the wide variations of their sound. After releasing two moderately acclaimed albums last year and a vinyl only project earlier this year Omnium is a highly anticipated return to numerous fan favorite sounds.
Review By Lav:
For a long time I was a very big fan of King Gizzard. While some of their albums are conceptually misguided their ability to execute consistently with such a variety of sounds is incredibly impressive. Unfortunately it's been a few years now since I really enjoyed one of their projects as they released not one but two sequels to their desert rock era, one of the most uninspired sounds they've ever explored. I was a bit more positive towards Catching Smoke last year but it still didn't come near the bands best work. I think they knew that fans were feeling a bit underwhelmed because they made it a point to return to some of their classic sounds, like almost all of their classic sounds. This record is a long, LONG journey through the bands discography that shows both how creative and how inconsistent they cane be.
The defining characteristic of this record is its length, both literally and thematically. These 16 tracks run for a total of 80 minutes but finding any way to extend songs is almost like a concept on the album. If Royal Blood wrote these exact 16 songs this would be a 45 minute record but King Gizz are fully willing to give themselves to the indulgence. Nowhere is that more clear than on the lead single and opening track The Dripping Tap, and I love it. While I won't break down every single element of its 18 minutes I will say it's a garage rock epic with one catchy refrain after another and a brash array of gritty instrumentation. If that sounds like your kind of Gizz, you should love this.
in fact I liked the other two singles as well. Magenta Mountain is a much sweeter and more psychedelic song by comparison. It's a genuinely soothing track with warm tones and breezy refrains that have just burrowed into my head. It definitely serves as the bands good vibes spirit while also having enough complexity to be engaging. Kepler-22b was the final single and it once again blurs genre lines in a dynamic way. While it lies much more on the psychedelic side of things there's still some driving instrumentation that is impossible to ignore.
A lot of this album runs in the sounds of garage and psych rock that the band has always stayed in, but certain tracks stand out for both good reasons and bad ones. The last King Gizzard record that I and many other fans really loved was Infest The Rats Nest which saw the band turning in a thrash metal direction, so I was excited to see that sound return for a pair of tracks here. Gaia wastes no time getting to the chugging riffs and guttural vocals and while it may not have a clear thematic focus it does kick ass sonically. Predator X is the second thrash song and while I don't like it as much it does have a hook that will feel more familiar to fans of Rats Nest.
Another pair of tracks that stand out are the songs featuring Ambrose rapping, yes you read that right. Unfortunately they have opposite issues. Sadie Sorceress actually has some decent rapping on it but the actual hook is such a let down that just evaporates all the momentum out of the track. The Grim Reaper features an instrumental and hook that the band are clearly more comfortable with but the verses unfortunately have all of the shortcomings you'd expect for an Australian rock bands attempt at hip hop.
The record also spends a lot of time upkeeping its very breezy vibe which sometimes makes for highlights. The Garden Goblin is reminiscent of some silly 60's sunshine psychedelia with nature sounds and surreal lyricism. It's a fun detour with some wandering keyboard that actually kicks ass. There's a great run late on the record starting with Persistence. If you can get past the songs kind of dumb hook it's a really nice moment with slow developing instrumental sequences and refrains that hover over everything in a bright and beautiful way.
This continues on Presumptuous which delivers a punchy instrumental and compelling bridge. I also like the refrains delivered in the first half of the song quite a bit. Red Smoke is a song that's grown on me the more I've realized how to explain it. It's almost like a Black Keys kind of delta song amped up with all this reverb and psychedelic effects that make it feel even woozier and I like the results.
Unfortunately the record fails to stick the landing at the end of the record. Both Candles and The Funeral are among the records most forgettable songs and really don't deliver much in the way of compelling refrains. Even the trademark "woo" on Candles fails to generate any excitement.
Omnium Gatherum is long, that's not a compliment or a complaint it's just a fact. While the record isn't some massive three hour epic, the way these songs are stretched out and compositionally extended makes it feel like an absolute marathon. Thankfully they have a pretty good batting average on the record with a lot of highlights in the mix but any time you could basically cut one entire fourth of the album out and it would improve it, that's a sign. 6.5/10
This cover seems simple at first glace but it has a lot of depth and details that you'll start to uncover as your eye moves through it. I'm a sucker for anything with symmetry and this is great, I keep looking for something that doesn't match up but it's all really solid. I wish the colors were a little more interesting to add some dimension. The text is nicely rendered and brings the entire composition together. 9/10
