Forum Thread

wip
Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica, 2018 limited edition reissue (TMR 546/TMR 559)
Mild High Club - Skiptracing (STH2373)
The Murlocs - Loopholes, AUS 1st edition (FLT-010LP)
Pipe-Eye - Laugh About Life, AUS 1st edition on cream wax (FLT-027)
Saint Pepsi, Hit Vibes, limited promo copy on cherry red wax (SP1)
Temples - Sun Structures, UK 1st edition (HVNLP100)
T. Rex - The Slider, UK 1st edition (T. REX ‎– BLN 5001)

wip
Yugo Kanna - Good Morning Morioh Cho, JJBA soundtrack (1000614113)
Yugo Kanna - Good Night Morioh Cho, JJBA soundtrack (1000634125)

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard w/ ORB, Stonefield - Mission Ballroom, Aug 21st, 2019
The Head and The Heart w/ Fitz and The Tantrums, ENZI - Mission Ballroom, Dec 5th, 2019
Fitz and The Tantrums - Red Rocks Amphitheater, Sep 25th, 2020
(upcoming) Tame Impala - Pepsi Center, 2021
(upcoming) King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard w/ Leah Senior - Red Rocks Amphitheater, Oct 2021

K.G. is an album that I feel will become the most divisive album in King Gizzard's discography. Prior to this, I'd say 2017's Murder of the Universe was one of their more divisive albums with its use of spoken-word passages. The band has put out 15 unique studio albums up until this point. Oddments does not sound like Nonagon Infinity, and Nonagon Infinity does not sound like Flying Microtonal Banana, but K.G. does sound like Flying Microtonal Banana. It's a blip in the rest of the King Gizzard discography, but it's broken their 15 album streak of unique stylings.

I don't think all of this record sounds like Banana. The first half, in my opinion, sounds the most like it's microtonal predecessor. I think that's why two out of the three pre-album singles were from the first side of the album. "Honey" was something unique as it was not only an acoustic track, but also a love song that didn't have weird undertones. "Automation" and "Some Of Us" would not have felt as out of place on Banana as "Honey." "Automation" has a sound reminiscent of "Anoxia" or the lighter parts of "Doom City." The sound on "Some Of Us" makes me think of a microtonal version of a Polygondwanaland track. "Straws In The Wind" has a similar structure to "Billabong Valley", Flying Microtonal Banana's Ambrose Kenny-Smith track, where vocals with minimal instruments are interspliced with parts focused on instrumentation. The track "Minimum Brain Size" feels less derivative than the aforementioned songs, but still feels more like something from the first microtonal volume in terms of sound.

The second half of the album is the strongest half. It's the side that feels the least derivative and has the most experimenting when it comes to sound. "Ontology" picks up from the groove at the end of "Some Of Us" and by god does it pick up. This song is what I'd expect to hear out of a battle in a desert area of an RPG. Everything works well together to create this atmospheric sound, and this track leans more into the Turkish sound that inspired the microtonal concept in the first place. The shift in sound around the 2:53 mark is especially wonderful, with the song suddenly becoming a lot heavier while still retaining the Turkish inspired sound. The album picks up even more steam with the house inspired "Intrasport" following right behind. It's so damn catchy and I love the groove on it. Guitarist Joey Walker sings on this track, and it's only fitting considering his side-project is for electronic music similar to this track! I'm absolutely in love with this song and I won't shy away from calling it the strongest out of the four singles for this album. "Oddlife" follows this track, which is slightly more mellow than the two that came before it. Joey and Ambrose share lead vocals on this track which isn't something that I can recall happening before. They've shared plenty of backing vocals (most remarkably on Polygondwanaland), but this appears to be the first time they've shared lead vocals. I dig it, and I'd like to see more lead duets from them in the future. "Honey" is the second to last track and one I've already touched over before. I do wish there were more acoustic songs on here considering how lovely this one sounds. Its placement is rather interesting though. There's an unspoken trend in King Gizzard's discography where they'll place a softer sounding track right before something rambunctious or heavy. Nonagon Infinity does this with "Mr. Beat" and "Evil Death Roll", I'm In Your Mind Fuzz does this with "Hot Water" and "Am I In Heaven?", and K.G. does it with "Honey" and "The Hungry Wolf Of Fate." Microtonal doom metal isn't something I was expecting to hear on this album. I don't think the microtonal sound is as pronounced on it as most of the other tracks, but I'm quite impressed with the choice to end the album on such a hard note.

I don't dislike the album, not by any means. I like the tracks on it but I do feel that it's not one of their stronger records. I'm not going to pretend I was clamoring for another microtonal album because, quite honestly, I've been hoping for a glam rock album for a couple of years now. I can understand how the songs on here may disappoint those who were eager for another microtonal album though. While Flying Microtonal Banana is one of my favorite albums in King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard's discography (and the inspiration for the thread title), K.G. doesn't completely live up to its predecessor. That may actually be a good thing though. It's about time that we get another album that's not up to par with their recent output. I think the fans have accidentally started getting their hopes up too high, and I hope this album serves as a reality check that not everything the group puts out is going to be good.

Also, Cook Craig should've sang on "Some Of Us." No hate to Stu Mackenzie but I can only imagine how good Cook would've been on that one.

Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be

I went into this album knowing this wasn't gonna be like what I had heard before, and somehow managed to be disappointed despite these expectations. Sweet's debut full-length is very lackluster to listen to, but would make for great background music at a worn down diner. The album tries to have life but is ultimately dragged down by shallow lyrics or mediocre instrumentation. Surprisingly enough, the songs that were the worst in this regard were the ones not credited to the band members.

Opening the album with "Co-Co" was not a good play. It's the least like the rest of the album, and it just isn't a good song to begin with. A majority of the songs have a summery feel to them, but this doesn't fit in with the feeling the rest of them give off. Starting the album off with a tropical song while the rest of the tracks feel more like the soundtrack to a kitschy romance movie doesn't work.

"Chop Chop" also fails to meet expectations for a similar reason. Why, for the love of god, would you include a song about lumberjacks on an album with love songs? It isn't funny or cute either. This is just an incredibly dull song about chopping wood. The vocals are also very hushed, which is ironic considering this song was sang by Steve Priest, the guy known for wailing on their glam tracks. Nothing wrong with his normal voice but it's jarring hearing him sing so quietly on this one. I do like the distortion on this track and there is a nice groove that picks up around the 2:10 mark. This song is painfully unamusing though.

After that is a cover of "Reflections." Can't say anything about how it compares to the original composition, but I do think this makes up for the lackluster start of the album. The sound reminds me of The Raspberries or an Ogden's Nut Gone Flake Small Faces. It's a cut and dry song. I enjoyed it.

"Honeysuckle Love" is a simple song but works well for what it is. It's a cutesy love song that sounds like something you might hear in the car. I think this is the song that establishes the theme of simplicity done well that's carried throughout the remainder of Funny.

Not much to say with regards to "Santa Monica Sunshine" outside of the more surf rock influenced sound on it. Sounds a bit like a Beach Boys B-side. There's some harmonized vocals on here but they're nowhere near as high as they get on later releases.

"Daydream" is a Lovin' Spoonful cover, and I'm going to admit that I also haven't listened to the original version of this track. Can't say much other than it sounding like another soundtrack song.

After a few good songs, there was bound to be another bland one among them. "Funny Funny" is sickly sweet and I dislike it. I like the instrumentation but god these lyrics are too much for me. I see how this track was able to chart well in the UK but I just don't see the appeal in it. Brian Connolly's voice seems more lackluster here than before.

ok so the next song on this album is about having an affair with a soldiers wife
I could say this more lightly but that's just what "Tom Tom Turnaround" is. It's a song about being cheated on while you're at war. I mean yeah, the dude goes back to his wife at the end, but that doesn't change anything. This is the longest song on the album, clocking in at a little over 4 minutes, and half of it is incredibly boring. Only around the 2:25 mark does it become mildly interesting. The introduction of the organ and the key change in the vocals tries to retain the listener's attention, but I don't feel that it worked too well.

"Jeanie" has a bit of twang to it and is pretty good for what it is. It's got a lot more to it than what came before it, and it's a good indicator for the sudden change in quality that happens towards the very end of this album.

That being said, "Sunny Sleeps Late" is pretty bland lyrically despite the sound it uses. It's not as twangy as "Jeanie" and I'd say it has more of a psychedelic influence.

For no reason, Sweet goes hard on the last track (last two depending on the copy) and I love it. "Spotlight" is pretty on par with the rest of the album with its lyrics, but the sound is very much a proto Sweet Fanny Adams. The high harmonization is starting to show. The driving guitar is there. Connolly sounds more rough here. This song was absolutely worth listening to the rest of the album for. It's an incredibly good teaser for the sound Sweet wanted to explore on future releases.

On certain copies the song "Done Me Wrong All Right" will be included. I've decided to include it in this since it's a prominent bonus track. This song? This song is better than "Spotlight." It's just as hard but the lyrics absolutely fit in with Fanny Adams or Desolation Boulevard. The sound on this track is more like those albums than "Spotlight" in my opinion. It's such a good closer to what was a very mellow and underwhelming album.

Honestly, this may sound like I hate bubblegum pop, but I really don't. Yeah, the lyrics and instrumentation may be more manufactured and less complex than the stuff I typically listen to, but I think there's some merit to the genre. Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be just isn't a particularly interesting bubblegum album. I have no idea how the hell "Funny Funny" or "Co-Co" managed to chart because neither are strong songs. Do I see myself enjoying this album more with future listens? Potentially, but I think my opinions of the tracks won't change much outside of my pre-existing thoughts on them being solidified.