For their 26th album, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard swap the widescreen concepts of their recent albums for the intimacy of six good friends collaborating on the most bonhomie-laden set they’ve yet committed to wax. For “Flight b741“, bandleader Stu Mackenzie says King Gizzard “wanted to make something that was primal, instinctual, more ‘from the gut’ – just people in a room, doing what feels right. We wanted to make something fun.”
“Flight b741” is lightning caught inside a bottle. Across its 10 ragged, glorious barnburners, King Gizzard flesh out rough skeletons of songs with their inspired improvisations, inimitable grooves and a unique pass-the-mic approach to vocals that saw every member of the band raise their voice and sing. “We’re having a lot of fun,
With a dose of Cosmic Americana in their heart and a ‘70s glam glow-up on the rise, the band finds their compass pointed towards Little Feat but tipping into T. Rex and Slade. The record captures the band at their most lascivious, though they aim their leer away from carnal concerns and towards the lip of societal slip. It’s a pelvic pump of an LP that’s more concerned with environmental collapse than the sweat and swagger would let on. The King Gizzard has been glossed in synth, minced through microtones, and splattered across the official bootleg pipeline, but they haven’t sounded like they’re having this much fun in a few years, and I’m fully here for it.
released August 9th, 2024
The Fat Angel Sings 