LAMINATED DENIM

Who can complain about more King Gizz in their lives? A band with such a consistently good discography with works of all varieties. They never leave me bored, and they haven't now. This is their 2nd studio release this month after their mouthful of a record Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms, And Lava. In this album, we get a sequel to their once vinyl exclusive I.D.M. album, Made In Timeland, a 30-minute album with two 15-minute songs. Much like that album, we have a 30-minute record with two 15-minute songs, however, they continue their more jammy sound from Omnium Gatherum (specifically in The Dripping Tap) and Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms, And Lava, combing their psychedelic progressive rock sound, with a bit of a space rock or krautrock tint to their lense. Believe it or not, this is one of the strongest and most masterfully done Gizzard records I have heard so far in their career, strangely enough.

The first of only two songs, The Land Before Timeland, introduce you into this world the band has made up and takes you on a tour through lush guitars, harmonies, drummings, and melodies that wrap you around this rather calm yet still jammy song. What I love most about this is that even with the calm demeanor you can still feel the rising action. As the song progresses things get faster, more chords are introduced, and this jovial sense of wonder gets refined more and more. It doesn't blow down the doors at the end, but there is a clear sense of movement and change within the music. I just adore the mood this song has. It is so fun and bouncy that it just makes me get into a good mood. This applies to most King Gizzard songs but here is how they capture it and let it ride and rise through this 15-minute jam makes me, in my mind, clap with joy. This is an aspect that I dig with the original Made In Timeland album and while things felt within the same song, you can tell things changed despite the consistency. Here they also do that but even better. It doesn't even feel like 15 minutes, it is like taking a nice long shower and getting out as if time hadn't passed at all. It is almost spooky how a good long song does that. What a song, and it isn't even the only one.

With the rising action of The Land Before Timeland, we jump into Hypertension, which is also fantastic. Here you can fear their energy just pouring, but still retaining the beauty and happiness the last song portrayed. I love King Gizzard due to how no matter what genre they twist and turn to they will always keep the mood up consistently. Never once in their discography, from their garage rock era to their brief ventures in synthpop did I feel their vibes and energy lose their weight. I think here they are capturing that energy into a photograph and stapling it in their photo album because I can just feel it all with this song. Fast-moving guitars, unique drum patterns, eccentric vocals, extremely satisfying bass patterns, and even some keyboards were added in for good measure. Every aspect here plays a role, and the roles they play are so well done that the band can play a game of chess blindfolded and still win. They are just that well performed. That ending too of those choir singing-like synths just raises the bar further and further until it falls apart and we get back into the fun-filled jams until that also falls apart with an immediate release of tension that builds up throughout the record. I'd say that is a great way to end this boisterous record.

Funny how one of the shortest King Gizzard albums turns out to be one of, if not the best albums they have put out. Just two songs and it's already one of my favorite albums of this year. It is such a fun listen that does not take very long in establishing itself in my brain. It is fast, jovial, and some of the best works the band has put out in this month, if not in this year, if not in their entire careers. I recommend listening to this. Grab a pair of headphones and just let the music wash you away with those groovy grooves and those beautiful arrangements.