Album Review: Polygondwanaland by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

By Connor Faleski

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s fourth out of five albums released in 2017, entitled Polygondwanaland checks all of the boxes that a King Gizzard album usually has. Is it a concept album? Yes. Are the lyrics mystical and dream-like? Yes. Fuzzy vocals? You betcha. During the actual listening of the album, King Gizzard, as per usual, draws you into this world that they have created. The music goes from section to section with ease, and always give the listener a reason to continue being invested. The songs are brash in the most prog-rock way possible, and the level of detail in each melody and sound never let up.

This uber-creativity that the band has can also work against them. While the different time signatures and concept album-feel feel original and fun, it does not allow for any pop music feels. King Gizzard does not want that, and that is brutally apparent, but the downside to that creative decision is that nothing is very memorable. Hours after listening to it, I couldn’t really remember any song or how it went. The problem with that is that I want to be able to remember more from the album, and the band deserves my attention in that way. But the complexities of Polygondwanaland sometimes are not the most interesting to listen to.

 

Rating: 6/10