King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Flight b741
p(doom) Records [2024]
Album Overview: It only took them 26 tries, but King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard finally made an album that clearly follows in the footsteps of fellow Aussie rockers AC/DC. Well, not really—but Flight b741 is one of the band’s most straightforward rock records to date. It follows on the heels of last year’s stylistic detours, the thrash metal ecological concept album PetroDragonic Apocalypse; and The Silver Cord, a guitar-less progressive electronic album released in two different versions (a standard edition and extended mix).
Musical Style: The album’s ten songs are steeped in the 70s bluesy hard rock tradition, but as usual the band throws in plenty of adventurous curveballs within that basic framework. There are, of course, lots of fuzzed-out guitars, manic drumming, and melodic bass playing, with touches of piano, organ, and harmonica. The production has a beefy, warm feel that gives the album a rootsy vibe, and there seem to be more than the usual number of shared vocals, something the album’s first single, “Le Risque,” demonstrates well.
Evolution of Sound: Anyone who has heard more than a couple of King Gizzard albums knows the band rarely repeat themselves. That said, there are some echoes of earlier projects in Flight b741’s musical DNA. The closest comparison is boogie stomp of 2019’s Fishing for Fishies, but there are also hints of the harmony-laden pop catchiness of Paper Mâché Dream Balloon and the layered songwriting of Changes too. The songs on Flight b741 should also lend themselves well to the jammier style the band has been pursuing in their live shows the last few years.
Artists with Similar Fire: If you like classic rock, this is the Gizz album for you. Led Zeppelin, the Stones, the Allman Brothers, T. Rex, ZZ Top, and yes, AC/DC, are just a few of the bands you could point to as possible influences on Flight b741. King Gizzard’s approach does tend to be a bit more high-octane, though, infusing their rhythm section with punk-level energy.
Pivotal Tracks: “Mirage City” opens the album on an upbeat, twangy note before heading off in a looser, funkier direction on “Antarctica, which features some of the album’s best soloing, and the muscular guitar crunch of “Raw Feel.” “Le Risque” is another highlight, a chugging boogie that conjures the spirit of Marc Bolan while nodding to Billy Gibbons in equal measure. “Sad Pilot” is another blues-based rocker with molten guitar riffs supporting a surprisingly soulful set of vocal performances, while “Rats in the Sky” and “Daily Blues” send the album off with great full-band interplay.
Lyrical Strength: King Gizzard lyrics are always a bit inscrutable, but here the themes are a little more down to earth. There are also clear aviation motifs throughout, which go along with the claymation-style album cover (by frequent collaborator Jason Galea), the music video for “Le Risque,” and the album’s title.
KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD REVIEW HISTORY
The Silver Chord (2023) / PetroDragonic Apocalypse (2023) / Changes (2022) / Laminated Denim (2022) / Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava (2022) / Omnium Gatherum (2022) / Butterfly 3000 (2021) / L.W. (2021) / K.G. (2020) / Chunky Shrapnel (2020) / Infest The Rats’ Nest (2019) / Fishing For Fishies (2019) / Gumboot Soup (2017) / Polygondwanaland (2017) / Sketches Of Brunswick East (2017) / Murder Of The Universe (2017) / Flying Microtonal Banana (2017) / Nonagon Infinity (2016) / Paper Mâché Dream Balloon (2015) / Quarters (2015) / I’m In Your Mind Fuzz (2014)
KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD LINKS
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