It's clear that the experiment was a success and that the microtuned instruments fit in perfectly with their oddball aesthetic. It's also evident that King Gizzard can do no wrong, and as the first of five planned albums for 2017, Flying Microtonal Banana will be hard for them to top.
The Australian psych-rockers present ear-worm melodies in this audacious collection.
Rich, imaginative, and more than a little strange.
While this experiment (and use of the zurna) might perhaps not being everyone's cup of tea, Flying Microtonal Banana is a rollicking groove machine of a record, as explorative and endlessly searching as the band themselves.
The new King Gizzard album, while not a thorough experiment in microtonal tuning, is a fun and intense psych rock experience.
‘Flying Microtonal Banana’ is a hazy, propulsive rock record that shimmers all kinds of different colours. A middle eastern flavour ripples through the album’s 9 tracks; you can almost feel the humidity from busy street markets and with it different tastes and smells.
Like last year’s Nonagon Infinity, King Gizzard’s performances are muscular and relentless. Though the songs still fade into one another, Flying Microtonal Banana is far more compact.
If Flying Microtonal Banana’s randomized approach is ultimately less transfixing than Nonagon Infinity’s maniacal focus, it nonetheless shows that, after eight previous albums, this band’s creativity and curiosity knows no bounds, and their singular balance of anarchy and accessibility is still in check.
‘Flying Microtonal Banana’ is equally as bonkers in musicality as its title suggests - yet its dynamic, ever-changing psychedelic rock certainly refreshes the industry palette.
All of the weirdo tones and notes of the album will certainly be a point of divergence in opinion on Flying Microtonal Banana ... in the execution, while ambitious and interesting, the band could have gone further and broader.
On Flying Microtonal Banana, their mix of experimentation, insatiably chugging rhythms, and classic psych screech-and-squawk, sounds so, so right.
Flying Microtonal Banana is a rock album drawing from a more nuanced tonal palate. It's a serious ask; why did western music abandon this complex tapestry of notes in favor of comfortable simplicity?
It’s potent and audacious, if a little too far out, though Sleep Drifter shows they can write a melody, and Billabong Valley would make a fine addition to the soundtrack of a film about the Manson family.
Flying Microtonal Banana is occasionally pleasant but mostly pedestrian. If anything, it’s a step back from the experimentation of last year’s fierce Nonagon Infinity.
This is probably the most focused full-length yet from the Melbourne outfit, each track imbued with a palpable sense of purpose.
It’s a solid record and one that’s sure to please fans, myself included, even if it doesn’t meet the highs of its predecessor.
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I've been on this site for a whole year now, HOLY SHIT!!! :)
Also, update on my KGLW discog dive before I start. I'm canceling it but I will still check out KGLW releases from time to time if I'm in the mood for them. I started it October 12th of last year with @mike_drop and while he finished it, I haven't done it since November 15th so I chose this record for the 1 year anniversary to make this mini announcement that I'll still be listening to KGLW records, but not all of them.
I'm too ... read more
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s best jam album I’ve heard so far. I see why this is one of their more popular ones. There are some classic tracks on here like Rattlesnake, but I my favourite is Open Water. It’s like bringing their thrash metal vocal style to the psych-rock jams, and the two styles mesh better than I could ever have imagined. King Gizzard’s talent is undeniable on this album. Melting and Sleep Drifter are two more standouts. It’s impressive how ... read more
1 | Rattlesnake 7:48 | 90 |
2 | Melting 5:27 | 88 |
3 | Open Water 7:13 | 92 |
4 | Sleep Drifter 4:44 | 92 |
5 | Billabong Valley 3:34 | 87 |
6 | Anoxia 3:04 | 84 |
7 | Doom City 3:14 | 86 |
8 | Nuclear Fusion 4:15 | 91 |
9 | Flying Microtonal Banana 2:34 | 80 |
#15 | / | Double J |
#28 | / | The Needle Drop |
#35 | / | Uncut |
/ | The Sydney Morning Herald |