GATORS GOT GROOVES

Author: Sindre Ernst  Date Posted:24 April 2021 

GATORS GOT GROOVES

Throughout their diverse catalogue, King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard is a band that has proven itself to be most adventurous, never resting long within any specific genre or formula. At the core of their sound is twenty-first century neo-psychedelia, though many different instrumental textures and song structures can be found across the massive King Gizzard catalogue.

Their 6th studio-album was “Quarters!”,  released in 2015. What is unusual about this LP is the way its 40’40” minutes of music is divided into four tracks clocking in at exactly 10’ 10” each. Reflecting this precise division, the cover sports four intertwined portraits that may or may not relate to the four song titles.

The rhythm across the albums is generally slower than usual with these guys, and the long songs allow for a higher jam factor than some of their previous material. Album opener "The River" begins its journey on a 5/4 beat, eventually flowing towards a Chicano-rock-inspired climax delivered with so much spirit that I can only imagine it smells like downtown L.A. in the early 70s!

The album frequently draws inspiration from “slow jam” material, a style appearing on several tracks on previous records “Oddments” and “I'm In Your Mind Fuzz”. King Gizzard's slow jams can be described as groovy ballads performed with raw, naked soul then baked through a lo-fi sound image, enriched by analog tube-rustling and creative use of clever effects. It is four times 10’10” of freakout exploration.

(c) Sindre Ernst 2021


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