Keeping up with the moves and releases of eclectic rock masters King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard comes close to being like a part-time job. They are constantly changing their mood, tone and instrumental experience. Applaud them for doing so. Remain stunned by their efforts, and pray the next one is just as good. Fine form is met and for the last decade, they have marked themselves as prolific people rising to the occasion time and again. Flight b741 hears the band take up arms in the fields of Southern Rock. Boogie momentum carries the band through this ten-track experiment. King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard fear nothing but idleness. They are like a shark or Bob Dylan, desperate to keep on moving no matter the cost. Taking hits and misses with the same momentum is a worthy cause, and few do it as well as the Australian rock outfit.
Keep on pushing. King Gizzard has the right energy behind it for this glam-like revival. But we are sick of revival. We cannot brush this band under the rug so often by labelling them as genre workers bringing dead rhythms back to the forefront of our minds. Our plate is full of rich works with influences so clearly hanging their hat on the past. The Lemon Twigs has made a killing with it and brought The Beach Boys-like aesthetic back to the forefront. Greta Van Fleet is filling up the trough for lower-brow piggies to feast on. King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard make for some obvious country twangs and comparisons here, though it all lasts as firmly enjoyable. Those groovy movements are cemented well with Antarctica and Raw Feel, the latter piece playing around with the joys of individuality.
Flight b741 is a contemporary stroke of brilliance from the King Gizzard crew. This should be no surprise. But the natural flavour they add to this release – how easily accessible these strong sub-rock genre tones are – is incredible. With a record label named after apocalyptic demise, the first p(Doom) release from King Gizzard feels like a full circle moment. They have landed on their feet with their blues rock roots revived for a jam session-like album. Those flickers of jazz-like construction can be heard on Field of Vision, an immaculate, grainy guitar song with a rising riff easy to fall in love with. Pilgrimages on the title track and the journey for the sake of it are enough of a reason to continue. We should tell ourselves this more – but at least King Gizzard is on hand to remind us.
Travel on with no point to your goal except a desire to meet it. Gutsy work filled with guitar thrills like this is not to be slept on. One of the best releases of the year. Sink your teeth into it and rip through the thick layers of instrumental blues bliss. Crunchy work from the band which revels in this expression of collaboration. Pass the microphone around, share the joys of the mind and explore them in a series of jam sessions which, when put together, mark an incredible high for the band. The string of Sad Pilot, Rats in the Sky and Daily Blues is one of the better triple segues of the last few years. But trust King Gizzard to be responsible for it. No surprise there. From strength to strength they move and with Flight b741, there is much to love about a band finding new joy in their roots.
