In the large and dizzying landscape of modern psychedelia, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard has changed the picture with their bold, bright, and complicated brush strokes. The newest King Gizz release, Flying Microtonal Banana, is a prime soundtrack for marathon funky/righteous dancing. It remains true to the psychedelic tradition of melodies that are both floral and lurid at the same time, yet it has its own King Gizzy-ness to it.
Flying Microtonal Banana instantly puts you in a place where you can solve mysteries and do cool dance moves at a higher skill level. It’s an innovative, yet simple combination of swanky jazz melodies, a rock band after their trip to India where they did a ton of acid, and the mystery bruise I got when I fell down dancing to the album. Anytime I hear a newer album with psych influences, I feel like I’ve heard it before, or that it’s just a carbon copy or a camel of OG psych works. With Flying Microtonal Banana, however, it felt new and artfully created. It’s the farthest thing from a convoluted, repetitive mess of effects pedals and Tame Impala mimicry.
As far as bangers go, Flying Microtonal Banana meets my discerning standards for what constitutes a banger. It met all of my criteria, which is an honor that very few albums earn. The banger criteria are as follows:
- Makes showering more fun ✓
- Provides adequate background music for post-shower interpretive dance ✓
- Good for laying on the floor when the dancing tires me out ✓
- Makes me walk faster when I listen to it while walking to class ✓
- Difficult to hide dancing when I listen to it in public ✓
- Turns making scrambled eggs into a party ✓
The album has only been out for a day or so, but that day has been significantly improved by the existence of Flying Microtonal Banana, so thanks a bunch King Gizz.
by Hayley Robertson
