From humble origins, King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard started out as a group of music industry students in Melbourne, making a name for themselves with each energy-charged concert and a rapid production of music recordings. “Changes,” the psychedelic pop band’s third album of the month introduces more creative tunes to an already impressive discography, continuing to prove that quality and quantity are not mutually exclusive. I was amazed at the wide range of genres they covered — from the cheerful folk tunes of “Paper Mache Balloon Dream” to the band’s take on South Asian and Turkish-inspired microtones in “Flying Microtonal Banana.”
In my completely biased opinion as a music theory student, the first track of the album, “Change,” is nothing short of a musical masterpiece. Instead of rooting a song in the same few harmonies, the song literally changes keys as new notes are introduced, seamlessly modulating from one verse to the next so that melodic ideas never feel stagnant. This technicality makes “Changes” sound like the musical embodiment of a patchwork quilt: each square of fabric is colorful and unique, yet beautiful altogether. The song starts out with a simple duet between percussion and piano before blossoming into a mellow, smooth theme that is built and expanded upon. At times, synth leads accompany catchy vocals in unison, giving this song its trademark late-night-drive-karaoke, windows-rolled-down feel.
The second song, “Hate Dancin’” is quite the ironic title for a piece of music with such a catchy beat. At first, I was not the biggest fan of its repetitive nature, but I’ve come to appreciate the simplicity of repeating lyrics and melody in the chorus that contrasts the track’s more complex drum beat.
“Exploding Suns,” the 6th track of the album, was a heavier, slower-paced song with jazz influences. I particularly liked the Glass Animals-esque combination of breathy vocals and psychedelic production that were able to support artful lyrics so well. Chaotic musings about the post-human universe? Backtrack that with slow percussions, slap on some laid-back electric bass guitar, and you have a recipe for a truly magical listening experience.
“Changes” was overall an amazing listening experience, and a great representation of the band’s adaptability to a wide variety of genres and a flippant attitude towards perfectionism– a mindset that seems to have a chokehold on the creative output of so many musicians. After all, if their music is trash, they’ll just release another album next month.
Featured image from Bandcamp, King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard
