King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard with Mild High Club – Sketches Of Brunswick East
(Flightless / ATO)

Trying to pin down Australia’s King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard is no easy task. Since 2012, the band has released 11 albums and numerous singles and EPs.  In 2015 with Paper Mâché Dream Balloon, the band started to vary their sound which until that time, had largely been a fuzz-based, psychedelic rock project. That record was recorded on a farm with only acoustic instruments, putting the focus on their songwriting abilities. Their fanbase began to grow thanks to their constant touring, their newfound varied approach and a homegrown scene grown out of the success of their contemporaries Tame Impala. 
In 2017, King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard planned to release 5 albums. So far they are making good on that with their 3rd LP of the year, Sketches Of Brunswick East, a collaborative record with their friends Mild High Club. If you thought they were up to weird stuff with Murder Of The Universereleased in June (itself a sprawling 3-part chamber rock / spoken word driven space-rock concept), then bend those expectations again because Sketches Of Brunswick Eastturns out to be an avant-garde / jazz-rock excursion. KGATLW heavily lean on groovy basslines, jazzy drumming, warped tape-loops, muted jazz-guitar tones and the flute which sounds perfectly at home floating above the bands’ basement dwelling lounge moves. This is truly an impressive pivot from their fuzz-rock sound and they pull it off convincingly. They nicely incorporate the oeuvres of bands like Broadcast, Stereolab, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Tortoise and The Heliocentrics while still retaining the enigmatic bounce of all their records. 
Impressive record and a stunning sound considering this could’ve been a flight of fancy. But don’t get too comfortable with Sketches Of Brunswick East! Let’s see what they cook up next. (Dom)
Check out a track here.