King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - K.G.
Critic Score
Based on 16 reviews
2020 Ratings: #456 / 871
User Score
2020 Rank: #453
Liked by 145 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

90
The Line of Best Fit
Overall, it’s clear that King Gizz’s tireless effort over the past 8 years still has no end in sight as they release yet another radical and innovative album which doesn’t fall short of the endless inspiration that King Gizzard continue to shine.
90
Louder Than War
Sixteen albums in and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard show no sign of slowing their sonic experimentation and, with this album, again show that they have many avenues to choose from.
80
Pitchfork

K.G., in particular, has a natural fluidity that belies its piecemeal construction, and a steady rhythmic thrust that mirrors the urgency of its scorched-Earth lyrics.

80
Under the Radar
At a time when everyone is stuck at home, facing uncertainty, grief, and loss, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have given something special to the world: the ability for fans to connect, and to (virtually) travel the world alongside the band’s diverse musical influences.
80
Sputnikmusic

There’s no silly gimmick that really sets K.G. apart, the lads simply chugging along as usual - perhaps explaining the relative lack of attention that their latest release has received - yet it's precisely this lack of gimmickry that makes K.G. worth celebrating.

80
Mojo

KG is no mere retread of the earlier album, Stu Mackenzie's custom-built electric bağlama leading him in unexpected directions.

80
Gigwise

The wild variety of influences on this album should make it sound like a car crash, but King Gizz have created an album that really puts this band in a league of their own.

75
Still Listening
While the instrumentals here demonstrate impressive musicianship, with particular credit to the drumming of Cavs, this latest foray into microtonality ultimately falls a little flat for me.
70
AllMusic

Listening to them tread a little bit of water is still better than listening to the fresh ideas of 99.9% of other bands, especially when it's done with the energy and passion the band exhibits here.

70
Exclaim!

There is little to be surprised by on K.G, but perhaps its recognizability is a testament to the band's certainty of who they are, what they are here to do, and their intention to not stop any time soon.

70
Uncut

They're breaking no new personal ground, then, but ... their enthusiasm and wayward energy carry them.

70
The Young Folks

Altogether, K.G. is a bit of a step down from their recent projects. It lacks a thematic flare that both of their 2019 releases had and the inherent uniqueness of most of their discography. But it does its best to expand when it can, and sometimes the results are surprising.

60
musicOMH

Strip away the adornments of genre and the graphic kookiness and this band will supply a cave full of treasures. You just need to know which words will open it.

60
NME

There are some great songs here, but they don't feel like they’re breaking new ground – a big deal for a band who have relentlessly pushed things forward.

60
The Needle Drop

K.G. sounds like a slightly weaker reiteration of King Gizz's previous forays into microtonality.

Chode
60

King Gizzard switch their sound up so often I honestly wouldn't be surprised if their next record was entirely Mongolian Throat Singing

Doublez
75

Although it's a sound experience that's always nice to listen to, K.G sounds like a step backwards for a band that's used to never walking in the same place twice. Reminiscent of the aesthetics, sounds and structures of one of their most beautiful reference Flying Microtonal Banana, the band offers us again a confusing and exciting immersion in the heart of the Middle East. What is reassuring on the other hand, is that you won't have time to get bored for a second.

Apart from those who ... read more

Sagittarius
70

The funny big name funny band makes more funny musics. What does kg mean!?!? Krazy good!?!?@? 😂😂😂 (it probably does mean that that was a good idea sagittarius)

barrykeys4
89

Me when funny microtone

Ackbae
65

The most King Gizzard album imaginable, fit with all of their usual psychedelic tricks. It's alright, but very formulaic and lacks pretty much any distinguishable features compared to their already psychedelically worn out discography.

Favourite Song: Minimum Brain Size

Best: Automation, Ontology, Oddlife

Worst: Intrasport

SoupAnd2Sticks
72

should be called "L.B."

-

The second adventure into microtonal tuning. And, while not as good as the first one, this disc still has a lot of cool things happening on it. It trades the more consistent FMB sound for a much more varied but still tasteful style, which helps it stand out from FMB, in my opinion. The thing is that some of these tracks really just kinda fall flat. While some are incredibly attention grabbing, like the house-infused "Intrasport," a lot of these ... read more

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Track List

1K.G.L.W.
1:36
70
2Automation
3:29
82
3Minimum Brain Size
4:18
83
4Straws In The Wind
5:41
76
5Some Of Us
3:52
70
6Ontology
3:58
78
7Intrasport
4:12
78
8Oddlife
4:57
77
9Honey
4:33
80
10The Hungry Wolf Of Fate
5:07
75
Total Length: 41 minutes

Year End Lists

#23/Gigwise
#38/Double J
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Added on: October 20, 2020