King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - “Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms, & Lava” Album Review
A long album title, for a long album. This is King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s first of three albums being released this month. It is also one of their lengthiest, with seven songs, none lasting less than six minutes for a total of 64 minutes overall.
Since 2015, they have released 15 albums, 17 by the end of this month. It’s an impressive feat. It takes hours to write good songs and then take the time to record them. This band is a music machine.
King Gizzard is an Australian band that formed in 2010. It consists of seven members, with Stu Mackenzie as their lead singer. Their main genre is considered rock, but they constantly mix it up with other genres like alternative and indie. King Gizzard creates a psychedelic atmosphere in which people can feel calm whilst listening. If you’re into mellow vibes this is the album for you.
This band has some very talented musicians. Each song tends to have two or three verses, a repeating chorus and a bridge. In between each section they tend to have a two-minute instrumental with a keyboard or a bass. This album’s song structure is solid overall.
Additionally, each song has a theme corresponding with their album title. For example, “Lava” is for Lava and “Mycelium” is for Mushrooms. Though some titles directly match the album title, the others address it in their lyrics.
One thing about the lyrics that make this album worth a listen is the use of descriptive words. They always paint a picture using an abundance of different adjectives. Not every line is a continuation of the next, but they still manage to make the scene feel real.
Some creative lyrics throughout the album include, “crimson clouds are raining blood,” “death smells like boiled eggs,” “death is life, the lava is life,” and “lacerate my own linchpin.” All of these don’t tend to be true; they’re almost the opposite. It’s a different way of writing that makes the songs more interesting.
The verses’ lyrics are able to create a story that is well written. However, the chorus of each of the songs is quite repetitive.
In “Mycelium,” the word “mycelium” is sung over 35 times. Some people may love the long instrumentals and repetitive lyrics, but if that’s not the case, then this isn’t the album for you.
“Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms, & Lava” would make for great background music when you’re just hanging out with friends, doing homework, or cleaning. Listening for fun is probably not the way to go. It’s not like mainstream music. It has its own style.
As a whole, this album was too lengthy. It wasn’t attention grabbing and allowed for zoning out to occur. However, for those eclectic music listeners, this may be exactly what you’re looking for.
With two more albums coming out, King Gizzard has a lot to look forward to. Who knows, maybe their next albums will be totally different. You can find out for yourself on October 12 and October 28.
Review: 5/10
Reviewer’s Favorite Song(s): “Ice V”
Reviewer’s Least Favorite Song(s): “Mycelium”
Isabel Sweet is a first-year majoring in communications. To contact her, email ips5219@psu.edu.
