Welcome back, microtones!
FMB was a fantastic introduction of microtones into the Gizzverse. King Gizzard brought an explosive record of groovy desert jams like “Rattlesnake” and “Open Water” along with experimentation like “Anoxia” and “Sleep Drifter” not found anywhere else in their discography. In a way, K.G. pushes even more boundaries to their microtonal sound. “Automation” fuses the ferocious aggression of Rat’s Nest with their microtonal sound. The bass leads the entire track, making the song feel like the end times are near. “Intrasport” is the most controversial track on the album. Guitarist, Joey Walker, wrote the track, giving it a danceable, disco-tech feel. Unlike anything King Gizzard has done before, the song is easily the best on the album. “Ontology” is yet another danceable groove song, but not in the same way as “Intrasport.” The drums keep the energy up while everyone in the band plays off each other well. The microtones allow the band to have an almost middle eastern sound, but it fits incredibly well with their psych-rock style. “Honey” is the light in the dark on K.G., allowing for a change of pace with a sweet, acoustic ballad Gizzard style. Sometimes, however, the songs can get repetitive and sound as if one’s heard it before. This is mostly because they have another microtonal album, and they can both sound similar at times.Stand-out lyrics
Across all 16 albums, it’s clear that King Gizzard’s strong suit is not lyrics, which is completely fine, due to their musicianship and ability to craft an amazing song without great lyrics. Since Fishies and Rat’s Nest , however, their lyrics have gotten increasingly better, and K.G. is yet another example. Most of them have similar themes: doomsday, end times, questioning life, and how we came to existence. These are familiar themes, but the music surrounding them elevates the lyrics to a whole new level for King Gizzard.“Rigor mortis, fossil tortoise/Remains dormant underneath everything/Ageless microbes reveal xenophobes/Endless plague thus infecting everything,”frontman Stu Mackenzie sings. On “Oddlife,” Mackenzie sings about the difficulties of the touring life as a musician,
“Back to the bus for another round/Managing feats by managing feet/Head of the hydra tastes the breeze/Conduit sees from the living room suite/Boredom is what boredom breeds, you see.”K.G. is full of interesting, yet catchy lyrics on every song. Even “The Hungry Wolf of Fate” is elevated from the lyrics. The song is already one big Black Sabbath worship, but lyrics like,
“Death looms like a leering figure/Bring our species into sight,”brings even more dark tones. K.G. itself is one of their darkest albums, and the lyrics put it into perspective.
