King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
Phantom Island
(P)DOOM
How can a gizzard, which is part of a bird’s stomach, be anointed king? How can a lizard have the ability to cast spells, or make studio magic? The answer: within a universe that is fundamentally unserious and unimaginably silly, as seen through the eyes of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. Unless the Australian band had shelled out some serious coin to a fortune teller when they formed in 2010, their founding members never would’ve guessed what the future held in store for them. They probably would’ve demanded their money back after the psychic revealed they’d go on to become one of the top bands—if not the most top band—leading the psych-rock resurgence.
But that’s what actually went down. Around the time of King Gizzard’s formation, psych-rock burst open like the oil rig in the then-new film There Will Be Blood. Like that commodity shooting out of the ground uncontrollably, so, too, did innumerable psych-rock bands start popping up to further the trend that continues to grow with the help of fellow Aussie Kevin Parker’s mainstream influence. Because of—or perhaps in spite of—the battalion of bands that replicated psych-rock sounds of yore, King Gizzard promised that they’d take a different tack than others striving for the heady sound in question.
With Phantom Island, King Gizzard once again meet their stated goal of growing with each record. This time around, they reach new musical heights thanks to the band’s extant desire to collaborate with orchestra musicians. That dynamic technically began with last year’s Flight b741, but after listening to Phantom Island, the previous LP seems relatively risk-averse in retrospect. Because King Gizzard appear to be more confident, and certainly are more practiced, in working with orchestral musicians, Phantom Island rises to the occasion. The 15-year-old band’s comfort and compatibility performing with each other, as well as with orchestra musicians, results in a bolder, brighter, more engaging, and more direct album.
Additionally, Phantom Island features another critical attribute that didn’t come to fruition on Flight b741: King Gizzard’s strength with songwriting. The Australians have said they want each of their records (which now amount to 27 full-lengths alone) to be distinct from all the others they’ve made. The band achieves exactly that on Phantom Island, and the more robust records they continue to put out will help ensure that a fulsome fanbase will remain loyal to King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard for decades to come.
