Polygondwanaland
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
Psychedelic rock band continues prolific 2017 with another eclectic record
Anton Astudillo // contributor
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s fourth album of 2017 isn’t as burnt out as you might think. At this rate of production, you’d think that the Aussie psych-rock outfit would at least change pace, but here they are again, this time giving away the album for free, and even allowing fans to distribute the records themselves by giving away its master tracks on their website.
Like many of their previous records, Polygondwanaland presents itself as a journey through mystical lands and surreal encounters with the unknown. Choruses are sung as incantations, wind instruments cast spells that leave audiences in a trance and quests to enlightenment are achieved.
There are distinct parts within the album that resemble a narrative: “Crumbling Castle” sets an apocalyptic exposition, “The Castle in the Air” introduces us to creatures such as “One-eyed people living peaceful” and “Men whose heads do grow beneath their shoulders.” “Loyalty” exhibits conflict within defiant followers of god. Lastly, “Tetrachromacy” starts the actual journey to envisioning the “Fourth Colour,” where enlightenment is finally achieved, and the band plunges into a kaleidoscopic psychedelic freak out reminiscent of George Harrison’s sitar rock. The destination has been reached, yet the journey makes you come back to it again.
The lengths that the seven-piece band go through this year are vast and monumental, but does that mean they’ve been making anything great? Although they’ve already made their magnum opus Nonagon Infinity, it doesn’t mean they should rely on voluminous production. There are still more levels of creative milestones that King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard can unlock, and if they could just focus on less than a handful of albums in a year, maybe we can finally get that rock opera that these musical psychonauts were born to create.