The juggernaut that is King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard has been steadily gathering steam for a while now and their fourth album, Oddments, is hands down their best record yet.
With the musical muscle of Frank Zappa and the cheeky irreverence of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, the Surf Coast group have dished up an assortment of tracks so disparate that, whether by design or happy accident, they have the overall effect of being rather magnificent.
The album kicks off with pure organ-driven psychedelia in the form of ‘Alluda Majaka’, while ‘It’s Got Old’ has a simple, bluesy handclap-and-harmonica swagger.
‘Sleepwalker’ is a standout track laced with whimsical harmonies and swirling notes fit for heavy radio airplay, while ‘Stressin’ is perfect 60s psych pop with quivering tremolo guitars and falsetto vocals.
The awesome surf/garage rocker ‘Hot Wax’ is a dirtied-up take on a Beach Boys classic and chugs along with enough lascivious bass rhythm to make the original ‘Surfin’ Safari’ sound positively puerile.
There’s even an ode to the nation’s favourite spread in the childishly irresistible ‘Vegemite’, which scores bonus points for the audacious ridiculousness of the lyrics “We’ll have toast/with avocado/and tomato/and Vegemite/ Cos I love I love my Vegemite/it’s strong as hell/ and black as night”.
Through their willingness to be peculiar, King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard have yielded a killer coming-of-age album in Oddments, proving that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being a little odd.
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Watch the clip to ‘Vegemite’ from Oddments here:
