It was seemingly inevitable that the non-stop musical output machine otherwise known as King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard would do something special to commemorate the ridiculous landmark of putting out their 20th album since September 2012. This occasion became even more noteworthy as it was the first time since 2019's Infest the Rats' Nest that the Australian sextet were able to write and record a project together in their Melbourne studio. What became a two-pronged celebration for the Gizzard gang resulted in the creation of their first ever double album Omnium Gatherum-which operates as a sprawling experimentation grab bag that provides longtime fans with exactly the kind of abstract nuttiness that they want/expect when they sit down to listen one of their records while also giving the uninitiated a pretty comprehensive look at what the empire of madness they've built up over the last decade is all about.
Although King Gizzard has always committed themselves to being an experimental band, they'll typically only stick to one sound on a given record. On Omnium Gatherum, this tradition has been thrown out the window in favor of a full-throated embrace of relentless musical anarchy. Bizarre, breezy 3-minute folk tunes ("The Garden Goblin") follow fuzzy, 7-minute psychedelic pop opuses ("Evilest Man"). Massive stoner metal riffs ("Gaia"), soothing freeform jazz rock that could easily accompany a brunch at a fancy hotel ("Presumptuous") and abstract hip hop-influenced tunes that sound like Fred Durst jumping on a King Crimson track ("The Grim Reaper") can be experienced in a 15-minute span. 18-minute opener "The Dripping Tap" shakes up the whole concept of acid rock by adding shredding guitars and forceful bass grooves into an otherwise loose, hypnotic song structure. On top of all that, no matter how spacey, strange or prolonged their instrumental sections get, there's always a dedication to crafting hooks in their songs that allows them to bridge the gap between the poppier and more inaccessible, jam-based strains of psychedelic music.
Some listeners will argue that this track-by-track genre shifting leads to a record that lacks cohesion and they certainly have a point. Of the 16 songs that make up Omnium Gatherum, there's barely any successive tracks that sound like they're from the same project, let alone the same musical act. However, I believe employing such a wide-spanning approach on this record is why it's such a pure, effective reflection of who King Gizzard is as a band. Their dedication to playing around with different sounds is a huge part of their identity/appeal and making a record that shifts gears at such a rapid, consistent clip adds a layer of surprise and spontaneity to the fold that really highlights how stunningly adventurous their songwriting is. This is King Gizzard at their most brazen, free and bizarre and it's fucking incredible that they seem to be heading down a path where they develop an even deeper embrace of their freewheeling sensibilities. Let those freak flags fly King Gizz, your music is better off for it.
Grade: A-
Standout Tracks:
1.Presumptuous
2.Gaia
3.The Dripping Tap
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