Sippin' on some Gizzard
The King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard complete LP Ranking
Hi!
Apologies for the bad newsletter title but it fits the subject.
Thanks for sticking with me after a little bit of a hiatus. I was planning on doing a 2025 album recap after all but decided against it since I said I would not be giving into 2025 music (I’ve failed). I’ve been schemin’ behind the scenes and how to approach that and been pretty busy with a handful of other things. Life has been up and down, I just turned 39 and I feel every bit of 55.
One thing I have done in the last couple of weeks is finally finish getting through the 26 LP discography of Australia’s KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD after starting the process back last July and I’m stoked to share what I think about them in short bursts and rank those records.
In short: Good ass band.
I didn’t always think that, though! Like a lot of overly self-serious music critics/fans, I avoided this band for YEARS for three reasons:
The Name. Now I like it, but it’s undeniably stupid. Good marketing, though.
The amount of music. In 2017 and in 2022 they released 5 albums each. In 12 years total, they released 26 albums, a few EPs, started releasing a billion live shows, started streaming their last tour on YouTube etc etc. It was exhausting to even KNOW they existed, let alone be invested
The fandom. There are few bands right now that have elicited a fandom akin to the peak jam bands the way King Gizzard has. They are selling out all the big outdoor venues, creating a culture of people (like Grateful Dead, Phish, etc) that ONLY listen to King Gizzard and you will find people online (I need to curate my circle better) that post about how everything they do is total gold, best ever type of music. Luckily, I have a few huge Gizz-head friends that are very cool people, so they eventually broke me down into giving them a go.
If you haven’t heard of them, that’s ok. They are one of the biggest bands in the world at this point that isn’t truly mainstream (for that matter: name a mainstream rock band that isn’t the Foo Fighters or didn’t start in the 90s. Hard huh?). Throughout their 26 albums, none are the same. That’s an obvious statement, but King Gizzard takes it to extremes. Most of them focus on a particular GIMMICK. From inventing or retrofitting instruments, to being playable on repeat with no noticeable gap, to super long extended keyboard workouts to thrash metal. The band is MOSTLY a modern psychedelic rock band, but they go all over the place - and yet still remain distinctly KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD. It’s fascinating, and while it doesn’t always work - I applaud the hustle.
Anyway, they are cool. Below I will rank the albums in order of preference with some short blurbs. There is no shortage of lists like this on the internet, in fact one of my favorite Substacks No Expectations put out their own list last year after I had started my dive and looking at it now, we have sort of similar tops and bottoms. His writing is a lot better than mine and he knows more, so if you read this and want a more convincing opinion, check it out. All said, they don’t really have a truly bad album. They have misses, but nothing that is unlistenable, which made this project fun. Some records blend together and 3 of them are bordering on ALL TIME CLASSICS for me.
I’m glad I gave the band a go and plan on following them from here on out. If you’ve been hesitant - maybe this will be a guide for you to delve in. Enjoy!
26. Eyes Like the Sky (2013)
The band’s second album is easily their worst but it’s also cool as hell and maybe the single biggest departure from their sound. It’s a 28-minute Spaghetti Western-style fake soundtrack with spoken word passages.
25. Oddments (2014)
More or less a collection of leftovers presented as a full album, it is more disjointed and shoddily recorded than a lot of their other albums. It has some hot tracks, to be sure but doesn’t carry that thematic edge that the rest of their stuff does.
24. Made in Timeland (2022)
In 2022, the band released two 30-minute albums that are both split evenly with two 15-minute tracks. One of them is much higher up this list. This one is near the bottom. It’s fine but unremarkable, with the first track being pretty interesting and the second getting actually annoying. I believe these were essentially Intermission songs from their live shows that Stu put to record and that is what they come across as.
23. 12 Bar Blues (2012)
A perfectly good rock-n-roll album that sounds almost exactly like 20 other garage rock bands on In the Red records from the 00’s and 10’s - this is fun and worth listening to (as their debut) but not particularly remarkable or memorable. Still, good bbq music or something.
22. Infest the Rats’ Nest (2019)
My first real deviation from conventional lists involving the band - I’ve seen this listed as the best album in their catalogue and it’s RYM ratings bear fruit that it’s one of their most beloved. I think it’s fine but ultimately mid-tier Thrash Metal, which they do better at a few years later. Worth giving a shot, because I’m definitely one of the lowest on it - it’s lean and loud but listening to it in the midst of doing the Kevin Hardcore 100 and other heavy shit, it just felt a bit weak.
21. Fishing for Fishies (2019)
The bands first attempt at a bit of a chooglin’ boogie-rock thing (later improved upon), this is a record that I could imagine having a more fond opinion of in the future. It’s silly and fun and sunshine-y, all things I will praise subsequent albums for, but this one just didn’t quite fully commit to the bit for me. King Gizzard’s Rusted Root album. It’s due more listens, probably.
20. Quarters! (2015)
When I got to this record, I was super stoked but was ultimately a little bit let down. 4 songs, all exactly 10:10 in length. Thing is, I love 2 of the songs and am a bit dismissive of the other 2. “The River” is one of the definitive King Gizzard tracks. And I love track 3 “God is in the Rhythm” but 2 and 4 don’t do a ton for me. Still, it’s really cool to see an early version of their eccentric vision for making music.
19. Paper Mâché Dream Balloon (2015)
Another beloved one that I’m a bit lower on but could see myself gravitating toward more in the future. This is probably the softest Gizz album, mostly acoustic and flute and sort of British-folk by way of Athens, GA influenced. Opener “Sense” is one of their best songs period and there are other highlights but it mostly leaves me wanting to listen to other folk-pop bands I love more.
18. L.W. (2021)
Coming out 3 months after the similar K.G. (higher up the list), L.W. is one of the King Gizzard “microtonal” albums (using instruments like guitars with more frets to play more notes, amongst other things) but is their least good in my opinion. It’s a good time and a good jam album but lacks the standout tracks of it’s predecessors and just kind of floats along (not the worst issue to have).
17. Murder of the Universe (2017)
Fairly divisive record in the catalog, 21 songs and 3 separate complete heavy psych “suites” with spoken word narration, this is perhaps King Gizzard’s most RUSH album. Despite being unbelievably nerdy, I respect and enjoy it. You gotta listen to the whole thing, and it doesn’t have a huge replay value but it’s a far out concept that works pretty well for me (and is totally off-putting to others).
16. The Silver Cord (2023)
This album is cool and I have been informed that the live versions of it are really great but as it stands, the all-vintage synth and drum machine dance record doesn’t truly work for me as an album, despite it SOUNDING very much up my alley. It’s essentially two versions of the album in one: a 30-minute version that is too truncated, disallowing the songs to fully express themselves and a 90-minute version that is a true slog to get through. Give me a middle-ground 60-minute version please and we would be COOKIN.
15. Butterfly 3000 (2021)
The other keyboard driven work, this one feels less gimmicky, but altogether warmer than The Silver Cord. Parts of this record are truly danceable (I’m assuming this happens at their shows). It’s a joyful record on the whole, despite it being recorded remotely during COVID lockdowns. I still don’t LOVE it but could definitely see this being someone’s favorite.
14. Changes (2022)
I’m not very smart about PLAYING music (or anything revolving around music, really), but as I understand it, Changes features the same chord progression through the entire record and some other music nerd stuff about key changes and all that’s to say: it’s a pretty seamless listen, though I would guess some people find it a bit repetitive. It maintains a nice propulsion but is also like one of their softer and most pleasant records and maybe their most Of Montreal/New Pornographes-esque? I don’t know, it’s good.
13. Gumboot Soup (2017)
This record is similar to Oddments in that it doesn’t carry through a cohesive theme because it’s mostly a collection of cutting-room casualties from their previous few albums, but this record (their 5th of 5 from 2017) features a band that is just a little more mature, interesting and expanding their sound. While it doesn’t have a ton of STANDOUT tracks, the general vibe is just “man, this band can do a lot of really cool shit.”
12. Float Along - Fill Your Lungs (2013)
This is the band’s 3rd album and still to this day has a couple of tracks that rank amongst the best work they have ever done. Opener “Head On/Pill” might genuinely be my favorite Gizzard song, though the title track is battling for that position. In general, this is the first VERY good Gizzard album, and while there is some filler, I find this one of their best straight up psych-rock albums.
11. Flight b741 (2024)
Their latest record and their return to a more Southern “boogie” sound - this is the band saying they wanted to make a record that came “from the gut” and honestly it feels like their most joyous, fun record. I believe it’s pretty divisive and have seen reviews claiming it as a “lesser” Black Crowes but their second attempt at a more “roots rock” sound is honestly just a fuckin’ blast. Everyone sings, everyone shreds, I have to imagine the live shows of this record are great. Could see a world where this becomes my most listened to album by the band. As it stands, it is the highest ranked of their albums before the 10 “great” ones.
10. Omnium Gatherum (2022)
At 80 minutes, this was the bands longest album until The Silver Cord but unlike that album this is a record where the band throws everything at the wall. All of their sounds, all of their influences, everything they’ve done to this point filtered through the King Gizzard lens and it MOSTLY works. The highs on this record are some of the best things they’ve ever done, and while I don’t HATE the rapping, I don’t particularly like it. I do like to imagine a world where we get perhaps their most beloved song (opener “The Dripping Tap”) with like 20-30 minutes of some of the best tracks here to make up the best record in their catalog easy.
9. K.G. (2020)
The second of the “microtonal” trilogy, this one maintains the Eastern mystic sound seen on Flying Mictronal Banana (more on that in a sec) and just gives us an album of non-stop jams. It’s a bit heavier than it’s predecessor (and follower), but it isn’t metal. I can hardly parse out any of the songs but it just has some of the best instrumental passages in the band's catalogue, has some repeated guitar motifs that bring to mind some of the best Tishoumaren bands and reveals new things on subsequent listens.
8. Flying Microtonal Banana (2017)
This one took a minute to grow on me, but it is undeniably one of the better records in their discography. I loved the guitar tone immediately but some of the repetitive nature of it (and especially coming off a behemoth record) took a minute for me to get beyond thinking it was just pastiche for some compilation of Desert Blues. It’s good, it’s great, it’s more Eastern-sounding and the first foray into the “microtone” world. I’ve seen lists with this as their best album. Honestly, you could interchange all 3 of the records from this internal trilogy and they’re all right.
7. Polygondwanaland (2017)
Said to be their “Prog” album, it is - but it is also “progressive” in that the album is probably best known for the fact that the band refused to sell it, instead releasing the masters for free on their website and encouraging people to press their own copies. They do this with a lot of live shows now too, and it’s honestly sick as hell. This album? Yeah, it rules. It’s still unmistakably King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, but it does skew prog in the song suites, storytelling and processed vocals. I’m hoping they return to this sound soon.
6. I’m in Your Mind Fuzz (2014)
Catch me on the right day and this is perhaps their best album. 37 minutes of rip-roaring fuckin’ garage-psych that opens with an insane 4-part suite that most bands only dream of being able to create. Their first genuinely great album and easily one of their most rockin’. This is the starting point, right here. Listen to this record first.
5. Sketches of Brunswick East (2017)
This currently sits on RYM as the third-lowest rated KGLW album (behind Oddments and 12 Bar Blues) and those people are fuckin’ wrong. As someone who isn’t particularly into “bedroom pop” and doesn’t know the band Mile High Club (whom this is a collab with), this record FLOORED me on first listen. Lounge-y, funky, smooth and still with a bit of early Floyd influence. This is maybe the most LISTENABLE record in their whole discography and an easy way to tell if you should take people’s opinions seriously is whether or not they like this (they should).
4. PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation (2023)
Heavier, louder, crazier and more lived-in than Infest the Rats’ Nest, this is King Gizzard doing metal and doing it WELL. This FEELS like a metal record and would be loved even if KGLW wasn’t a beloved band (I actually bet metalheads scoff at it, but still). It rules, man - its like running your car 120 miles an hour down the desert highway. Their heaviest record and makes me want to see what their next METAL record will sound like.
3. Laminated Denim (2022)
An anagram for Made in Timeland, this is the second of the 30-minute (15-minute track) albums from 2022 and unlike it’s predecessor, is fuckin’ great. Getting rid of the faux-electronica and hip hop influences of the other, this is King Gizzard approaching perhaps the closest thing to Krautrock with a dose of Grateful Dead in the first track and then ratcheting up the German influence in the second. It’s repetitive in the best way possible, allowing you to totally lose your mind to it, but only for 30 minutes. For a bit of a “cast-off” album, it’s nearly perfect.
2. Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava (2022)
Another super nerdy music writing concept in that each of these 7 songs is written in one of the modes of the major scales (the title even playing off that), but I don’t know truly what that means and it honestly doesn’t matter because this is their jazziest, funkiest and jammiest record. 7 songs with the shortest being like six-and-a-half minutes and the one that brings to mind the best eras of the Dead for me (it doesn’t sound anything like them). If you want long jams, this is the one. If you want to read about the concepts of the album, go for it - you don’t need to - this is just a head-trip of a record that I adored on first listen and the subsequent half dozen.
1. Nonagon Infinity (2016)
Sometimes the obvious pick is the right pick. I would LOVE to have a different “best” King Gizzard album, but Nonagon Infinity is their most praised album for a reason. The concept of this record is that it can infinitely be looped. There are no noticeable breaks between tracks nor the end of the last and the start of the first track. It sounds like an easy concept, but is super hard in practice and yet the band NAILS it here, while somehow also able to make an album that builds pressure upon every track over and over and over. It’s just a super cool achievement. It’s one of their heavier records, has a bunch of their best songs and is the de facto best record by the band. While listening chronologically through the discography for the project, they had records before this one where I thought “yeah, this band is better than the name implies” but once I got to this one, it was an immediate “holy shit, I better pay attention”. You should listen to it.
So there you go, good band in my opinion. Thanks to my co-worker Joe, my online buddy Korb, the one client I had at work once who cited the band as his favorite and the band streaming their live shows on YouTube last year for getting me to finally throw aside my reservations and dive in. This was a super fun project, I hope the band has a hundred more records in the future.