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King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard isn\u2019t just a band. It\u2019s a shape-shifting beast that devours genres for breakfast and spits out sounds you didn\u2019t even know you needed.<\/p>\n
Psychedelic rock, thrash metal, jazz, electronica, prog, folk, synth-pop and more; nothing is sacred and everything is up for grabs for this Melbourne-based sextet. We\u2019re talking 26 studio albums and counting, 39 live recordings, stacks of singles and enough music videos to keep you glued to your screen for days. And it\u2019s all been done over the course of just 14 years.<\/p>\n
The latest record, Flight b741<\/em>, was released in August right in the middle of a 44-date world tour. Its sound is heavily influenced by no-frills Southern rock n\u2019 roll bands from the late \u201960s and early \u201970s\u2014pedal steel, harmonicas, bluesy twang and all.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a rule for this album\u2014if it took longer than two hours to be satisfied with a take for a song then the song was too complicated for this project,\u201d says bassist Lucas Harwood. \u201cWhile the ideas are fresh and flowing \u2026 someone would bring in ideas to the table, write the chords down and we would all learn it on the spot and go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n The initial tracking sessions for the album lasted two weeks before the band separated to work on individual parts or in smaller groups before regrouping for the over-dubbing process, which took a few months to complete. Given the holistic, collaborative nature of the band, anyone has the ability to fully pitch a song idea. The title track was Harwood\u2019s time to shine, as he took the lead on the song\u2019s composition, piano and vocals.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a big thing for me \u2026 I don\u2019t write as many songs as the other guys and I feel the things I write don\u2019t usually fit in the Gizzard canon, but I had this one that just felt right,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Harwood, who also plays in the psych-pop rock band Heavy Moss, calls back to his childhood and his early exposure to folk music, which undoubtedly gave him the perfect backing to bring \u201cFlight b741\u201d to life. He nods to Elton John when it comes to the song\u2019s piano style, and says that his bandmates gave him a helping hand with wrapping up the arrangements.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was the perfect environment for me where I had this idea, it\u2019s not fully formed and when I brought it to the table with the guys, everyone just collaborates,\u201d he explains. \u201cWhich is really cool because it probably still wouldn\u2019t be a finished song.\u201d<\/p>\n The listener is met with a fuzzy opening riff, a wailing harmonica and a chorus of vocals. And although getting on the mic was a bit of a learning curve for Harwood, his tone is rich and fits perfectly with his bandmates. The song encapsulates the feeling of a weekend road trip with your buds.<\/p>\n Just as the dust began to settle, King Gizzard kicked it up again. Only two months after releasing Flight b741<\/em>, they\u2019re already cooking up another record\u2014and, of course, exploring another genre. Their latest teaser, the melodic and orchestral single \u201cPhantom Island,\u201d offers a taste of what\u2019s to come. And they\u2019re set to take this sound on a special nine-show run backed by a 28-piece orchestra next summer.<\/p>\n But before embarking on that orchestral escapade, they\u2019re finishing up their current world tour, with a stop in Vegas on November 9\u2014a familiar city for King Gizzard.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t mean this negatively at all: It is a huge novelty,\u201d says Harwood. \u201cIt\u2019s really crazy and fun and we\u2019re usually just playing some blackjack after the show. I reckon the last time we did it, we took over a whole table too.\u201d<\/p>\n KING GIZZARD &THE LIZARD WIZARD<\/strong> November 8, 8 p.m., $39+. PH Live, ticketmaster.com.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n