By Jason Landry

It often takes bands a while to drum up enough new songs to put out an album. Most artists stick to a schedule, like one every two to three years. Not King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. They put out five albums in 2022, a feet that they also pulled off in 2017. Their most recent album Changes (their 23rd album since 2010), was released this past October and it feel like a cross between the Flaming Lips and LCD Soundsystem—but don’t hold me to that…let me tell you why.

Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, this band doesn’t fit into a box. They are not genre specific as their music is all over the map. Their other albums have been labeled experimental, psychedelic, jazz fusion, folk, rock, metal, sci-fi, prog rock—you name it. 

This album begins with Changes, an epic 13-minute melodic jazz-funk infused track with keys like vocal lines that ultimately segues into an alternative rock anthem at around the 11:41 mark—just when you thought the song was ending. Track two titled Hate Dancin’ feels and sounds like it should have been a continuation of the first track. The seven tracks on this album are funky and jazzy to a point. The album ends with an upbeat crunchy guitar and synth jazz-fusion track called Short Change that sounds like something off of a Jeff Beck solo album from the 70’s. Favorite track is the synth-heavy electronic music inspired Gondii.