King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are pulling through with their 4th of a supposedly 5 albums in 2017, and while I appreciate the endless onslaught of interesting music, it feels like this has been a time for them to experiment. They can throw ideas out there right now because judgement surely can’t be too harsh when it’s part of a 5-album year. Before this latest release, Flying Microtonal Banana has remained the most interesting of this year’s bunch even if it doesn’t hit the highs of their previous work, Murder Of The Universe didn’t feel like an album, and Sketches Of Brunswick East was a nice diversion. Polygondwanaland, their latest, is in the public domain. King Gizzard have released the album for free, allowing anyone to use the album however they choose with no copyright restrictions. An interesting idea, and a thank you to the fans in some ways. Let’s go track by track.

Crumbling Castle

Right from the first bass note we’re in interesting territory as a 7/8 groove establishes itself. For a second it felt a little like something from Quarters! but the meditative, mystical two-step rhythm layering over what’s already there throws you for a loop, and from there you’re unsure whether to attempt to keep up or let the song just roll. Some things are the same, like Stu’s habit of mirroring his vocal line with the lead guitar, but there’s musical evolution here – the song breathes in a way the band’s usual pumping drums don’t allow for. The song takes a moment to let you recollect your bearings around the 7:30 mark before launching into heavier and heavier places, ending in a crushing finale of desperation, an apocalyptic warning shot that evokes the world falling under its own weight.

Polygondwanaland

The title track is a little easier on your speaker’s bass system, and starts a little simpler too. Hushed vocals speak of the mystical Polygondwanaland at the end of the river, and it’s as eerie as it is inviting This looks like the true start of the album’s story. After fantasizing about this place for a while, the song opens up for a guitar/flute solo that might be my favourite moment on the record. It exudes beauty and fantasy. Did I mention the drumming is ridiculous? They make these strange polyrhythmic excursions so easy to bob along to.

The Castle In The Air

Seamlessly transitioning from the last track, we open with some Aussie vocal narration. It seems we’ve reached Polygondwanaland, and with it comes a constantly shifting rhythmic palette. Palm-muted acoustic guitars and an 80’s synthesizer dominate the proceedings, along with the usual presence of a mouth organ. A short track, but interesting nonetheless. You can already feel the effort put into this album compared to other releases this year. Sixteenth-note cymbals to finish, transitioning to…

Deserted Dunes Welcome Weary Feet

The drums take a front seat here, pushing the song forward, with the speed of the 7/8 giving the song somewhat of a stutter. Simultaneously describing this new world as an utopia, but also a prehistoric, dangerous place where our “bodies are tasty morsels.” The 80’s synth is here again, and in way the entire track feels like an expansion on the last two tracks before turning into a half-time jam. Everything is a little more sparse, the rhythm section tighter. Unlike the last two, this song ends in silence. Perhaps they were a trio?

Inner Cell

Instantly darker, creepier. I’m starting to sense this place might be a little off. This one makes it a little harder to get a handle on any particular groove, so you’re losing control of the song in way that resembles what they are going for thematically. The addition of beautiful atmospheric chords further on would be happy somewhere else, but here they add to an oppressive atmosphere. What is the “Inner Cell” I wonder? The song goes on to the next with the synth from Stranger Things:

Loyalty

A slow build of electronic noise unexpectedly takes a left turn into staccato grooves, and this album keeps getting creepier. Like a nightmare, the song contains voices from all directions, contrasting low growls with whimpering falsetto. It’s some what of a cult march, and turns from dark to complete blackness as the lyric “I will draw and quarter all the children just to prove I’m not a coward” pops up in the most dissonant section of the album so far. We are hearing this song from someone who either is, or believes to be some kind of deity, and will stop at nothing to prove their power over others. Synths swell into..

Horology

A lone hi-hat and guitar line serve to build towards a jaunty verse section that lets the bass go all over the place in the best way. The boys can’t sit still for long as usual and the song likes to play on a gear change between verse and chorus, which turns from rigid to heavenly, and then back again. Structurally it’s one of the simpler songs on the record, and it feels maybe a little too repetitive despite the sub-3 minute length. Story-wise, a travelling pilgrim who’s dissent leads him to have his eyes gouged out. He reaches a castle, where we are told of “Tetrachromacy.” Another suite ends.

Tetrachromacy

A color “under blue” is discovered in this track, which plods along with little eventful moments or interest besides the lyrical content. Unlike many of the other songs here, it’s a little muddy, with most of the instrumentation staying at the low end. Probably the weakest track here, and the most forgettable.

Searching…

Leading into the next track we get some world music sounds at a snail’s pace. A huge, rumbling synth haunts the track before it lets the groove take over. There’s a bit of interplay here between the “Alter Me” lyrics from Murder Of The Universe, which is welcome to anyone used to their cross-album referencing. The track suffers from some of the same issues as the previous, but there’s something more ominous here, and in a way it feels like a 3-minute build to the final track.

The Fourth Colour

A classic King Gizzard drum fill opens a high octane finale, and we’re back in 7/8 again. A repeated guitar trill serves as the glue holding the track together, but it’s mostly the band at their most unhinged. Some interesting vocal effects pop up before disappearing, the drums are unattractive and noisy, but it works surprisingly well all together. After a few minutes of this we get some break time, to let the song’s manic anxiety and the album as a whole sit with us while a warbly pad lies in wait. A drum solo of sorts begins, and we’re in the most Gizzard part of the entire album as a heavy, ear-smashing motorik rhythm tears the rest of the album apart. The story is over.

Overall Thoughts

I’m pretty delighted, honestly. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have finally released an album that is close in consistency to work they would have had much more time to prepare, write, and record.

“Crumbling Castle” might still be the best song on the record as well. It’s a monster, an atmospheric dirge of odd time signatures and interweaving guitars that serves as a mindblowing introduction to an album that turns out a lot quieter than expected. A lot of the thrills come from the play with polyrhythms, not necessarily the high-octane insanity, though that comes through later. Much of it is played with acoustic instruments and the vocal delivery never gets to the yelping and woo-ing expected of Stu Mackenzie and co.

There’s a massive improvement lyrically too. While some of this potential was glimpsed on Murder Of The Universe, this new record showcases an album’s worth of buildup to worlds outside comprehension, and a colour beyond our sight. Polygondwanaland is fleshed out as much as a short story could, and images of sinister cults and violence really start to unsettle around “Loyalty,” a massive highlight that contains thoroughly disturbing lyrical content.

The songs do get somewhat repetitive near the end, and while it’s a concept album, I think more could have been done with the last suite to get away from the previous two, because that final trio of songs doesn’t really come together until the last minute of “The Fourth Colour”. Maybe some reconstructing is in order, or a rework of “Tetrachromacy” to give it a little more texture.

To close out the review I’d like to encourage King Gizzard fans to see this album as more than 1 of 5, because this album has far more ambition and staying power than some of their other cuts from this year and I’d hate to see that go to waste.

8/10