King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard - Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava ALBUM REVIEW
This is proof that AI art can sometimes be beautiful.
I recently hit a milestone that I’ve been wanting to hit with my music-listening journey: I’ve gotten through every single studio album from King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, just in time for them to ANNOUNCE THREE MORE ALBUMS RELEASING THIS MONTH. Yeah, that’s how these little Aussies roll with their music. King Gizz’s previous release, this past April’s double album Omnium Gatherum, is one of the best rock albums of the decade so far, in my opinion, so they’re setting the bar pretty high. With their third album of 2022, Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava is tackling a pretty big concept: Seven tracks that are built around the main 7 Greek modes of music. It’s an interesting idea, so let’s see what tricks these little goblins have up their sleeves.
As I mentioned earlier, each track on the album is built around and/or inspired by the seven major Greek modes of music. I’m not someone who knows about music theory or anything, but for good measure, I might as well list the seven modes they cover:
Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian
If you’ve even noticed yet, the first letter of each mode matches the first letter of each word in the album’s title, including “and.” It’s a pretty bold concept that, admittedly, I don’t know if they’ve achieved or not because I’m a little idiot that doesn’t know about the Greek modes. To my understanding, each mode has a different set of natural notes and all this different stuff about the Circle of Fifths. I’ll link the Wikipedia article about modes in music if you wanna know more because, well, I’m not a music teacher. I’m a music listener and enjoyer that happens to write reviews. So, diverting from the history lesson, how does the music itself sound? It sounds pretty good.
Ever since their first album a decade ago, King Gizz have always had an insane amount of chemistry together. Their jam session tracks like “The Dripping Tap” (which is my personal favorite) include some of their best tracks in general, and an entire King Gizz album of jams is up my alley, no matter if it’s some of their heavier material or their lighter, jazzier work. Ice, Death… ends up landing on the jazzier side of things, and I personally really enjoyed it. It’s certainly not their most zany release, but it’s just so consistent. Blending psychedelic rock and jazz is a winning combo for King Gizz, and there are barely any filler tracks either. Another highlight on here is the building of each track. The group’s always been good with building upon their songs to make a rousing finale, and nearly every track on Ice, Death… does this beautifully. For an extra bonus, the final track transitions right into the first track, a fun callback to their other infinite-loop album, Nonagon Infinity. Overall, Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava is one of King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard’s best releases yet. Filled to the brim with charm and genuine talent, the Aussie group prove yet again how killer they are.
9/10
Listen here
Spotify
Apple Music
YouTube
Bandcamp
Read about modes here
Wikipedia
Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava is a KGLW release.
I recently hit a milestone that I’ve been wanting to hit with my music-listening journey: I’ve gotten through every single studio album from King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, just in time for them to ANNOUNCE THREE MORE ALBUMS RELEASING THIS MONTH. Yeah, that’s how these little Aussies roll with their music. King Gizz’s previous release, this past April’s double album Omnium Gatherum, is one of the best rock albums of the decade so far, in my opinion, so they’re setting the bar pretty high. With their third album of 2022, Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava is tackling a pretty big concept: Seven tracks that are built around the main 7 Greek modes of music. It’s an interesting idea, so let’s see what tricks these little goblins have up their sleeves.
As I mentioned earlier, each track on the album is built around and/or inspired by the seven major Greek modes of music. I’m not someone who knows about music theory or anything, but for good measure, I might as well list the seven modes they cover:
Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian
If you’ve even noticed yet, the first letter of each mode matches the first letter of each word in the album’s title, including “and.” It’s a pretty bold concept that, admittedly, I don’t know if they’ve achieved or not because I’m a little idiot that doesn’t know about the Greek modes. To my understanding, each mode has a different set of natural notes and all this different stuff about the Circle of Fifths. I’ll link the Wikipedia article about modes in music if you wanna know more because, well, I’m not a music teacher. I’m a music listener and enjoyer that happens to write reviews. So, diverting from the history lesson, how does the music itself sound? It sounds pretty good.
Ever since their first album a decade ago, King Gizz have always had an insane amount of chemistry together. Their jam session tracks like “The Dripping Tap” (which is my personal favorite) include some of their best tracks in general, and an entire King Gizz album of jams is up my alley, no matter if it’s some of their heavier material or their lighter, jazzier work. Ice, Death… ends up landing on the jazzier side of things, and I personally really enjoyed it. It’s certainly not their most zany release, but it’s just so consistent. Blending psychedelic rock and jazz is a winning combo for King Gizz, and there are barely any filler tracks either. Another highlight on here is the building of each track. The group’s always been good with building upon their songs to make a rousing finale, and nearly every track on Ice, Death… does this beautifully. For an extra bonus, the final track transitions right into the first track, a fun callback to their other infinite-loop album, Nonagon Infinity. Overall, Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava is one of King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard’s best releases yet. Filled to the brim with charm and genuine talent, the Aussie group prove yet again how killer they are.
9/10
Listen here
Spotify
Apple Music
YouTube
Bandcamp
Read about modes here
Wikipedia
Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava is a KGLW release.
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