It's fitting that Ummagumma begins with the live album comprised of basically all the good tracks (save "Interstellar Overdrive") from the first two albums, maybe as a mission statement that they were trying to throw away all the rest and continue on in that psych rock jam kind of style going forward for a bit. These are all explosive, electric versions of the songs, as well, really highlighting what probably was truly the main catalyst for Pink Floyd's rise: their live performances. I do feel like once we get to the studio side of the album, I have many of the same issues I had with the first two records: these are just not great songs.

Reviewed on Friday, February 3rd, 2023, 12:22pm.

A step, albeit a small one, in the right direction. There's definitely a lot more here to enjoy for me than on The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, since there are bit more tracks in the "Interstellar Overdrive" vein, like "Let There Be More Light," "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun," and "A Saucerful of Secrets," which all trend toward longer psych rock exploration. It's when they try to write songs in these early albums that they really lose me. The band just sounds so amateur and silly on stuff like "Corporal Clegg" and "Jugband Blues," like they literally have zero idea how to write a song, which obviously changes big time later on.

Reviewed on Friday, February 3rd, 2023, 9:15am.

This is definitely one of my least favorite Pink Floyd records, if not the least favorite, but historical context aside there is actually some decent stuff here. "Astronomy Dominé" and "Interstellar Overdrive" are wonderful psych-rock explorations, with the latter achieving incredibly high highs in the genre, taking you to pretty out there and dark places, which I always appreciate. Too much of it sounds like shitty carnival music, though.

Reviewed on Thursday, February 2nd, 2023, 3:16pm.

Such a beautiful, patient album. I love how each movement shares a common motif, giving Sanders plenty of room to breathe and put his mark all over the record. It'd be really tough to pinpoint a favorite "song" or moment since it's all meant to be so cohesive as a singular statement, but the whole album builds very naturally the nuance is present enough in each movement to make something about each kind of stand out. The album simply grows and grows, each movement better than the last.

Reviewed on Thursday, February 2nd, 2023, 3:04pm.

It would take something incredibly special to ever dethrone Animals as my all-time favorite album. I'm not sure it's entirely tied to quality, although this album's is unquestionably high. It is so tied with memory, nostalgia, and discovery for me that it will forever be unmatched in that department when combined with quality. I remember the exact moment I first heard this. Micki and I went to Barnes and Noble the day after Christmas with gift cards in hand, looking to blow them on books, DVDs, CDs, etc. I was definitely aware of Pink Floyd, had a few of their CDs, like The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall, and felt it was time to branch out a bit, so I picked up Animals. We headed home from Mall of Georgia in Micki's CR-V, and she allowed me to play the CD as we drove. I vaguely remember her asking "what in the world is this" during one extended section of "Dogs," while I thought to myself the very same question, but in a completely different way. My mind was absolutely blown. It still is, every time I listen. For my money it's the band at their peak, not only from a songwriting and concept perspective, but the playing is top-tier. David Gilmour's slide guitar solo on "Dogs," Nick Mason's insane drum fills of "Pigs (Three Different Ones)," Richard Wright's nasty synths on "Sheep," I feel like every member got a chance to shine, with Roger Waters' songwriting at the forefront. It is always such a joy to come back to for me.

Reviewed on Tuesday, January 31st, 2023, 12:46pm.

The best word to describe The Epic is "revelation." I will freely admit I don't pay terribly close attention to new jazz releases; it's not that I believe the genre has peaked and there's really no reason to keep up with it, but I guess it's more like I really don't know where to start and most albums I have listened to didn't necessarily feel terribly important in the grand scheme. Then, along came this record. Give it all the superlatives you possibly can. Greatest jazz album in decades, sure. Among the all-time greats, probably. I feel like Kamasi really showed me that it's still worth digging. Even in a genre where seemingly all the greatest works are 60 years behind us, there's always going to be the chance that something will stand the test of time, and boy oh boy does this ever. I will never get over the sheer hubris to release a triple album, where literally any combination of these tracks of normal album length could be the greatest album of any year this generation. Rather than spreading out the music over time and milking the creative explosion as long as he could, Kamasi was just like "here ya go." Legend.

Reviewed on Tuesday, January 31st, 2023, 12:04pm.

This is a very interesting and listenable album for me. Obviously McCraven's drumming is the star of the show, but the overall vibe and structure of the songs as being somewhat glitchy, constantly-building jazz tracks makes it a pretty unique listen for the genre. I am not super familiar with his work, but what I have heard in the past felt a little bit looser and more improvisational, while I can sense a firm structure to the songs here. This approach gives songs like "Dream Another" a lush fullness that might not have been present before; I could picture James Bond swooning a woman in a Bora Bora hotel bar to the song's beautiful flute interludes. The tight orchestration really shines on "Lullaby," as the dancing harp lines give way to staccato strings the eventually give way themselves to almost mournful sustained strings, all buoyed by McCraven's light, yet commanding rhythms. Another big highlight for me is the marimba of "So Ubuji."

Reviewed on Tuesday, January 31st, 2023, 10:00am.

I mean it's one of the greatest albums of all time. I vividly remember this being the first ever album I listened to front to back twice in a row. It was on the way down to the beach with the Urrutias, and I had my SACD version in the Discman, and just was so blown away that I had to run it back. Coming back to this album from time to time will always bring that feeling back, it's so good.

Reviewed on Tuesday, January 24th, 2023, 12:46pm.

A case could be made for "San Tropez" and "Seamus" being kind of throwaway tracks but it really doesn't matter in this case. That's about six less-than-perfect minutes out of an otherwise perfect 46 minutes that are really easy to ignore when you take the strength of the "One of These Days," "A Pillow of Winds," "Fearless," and "Echoes." A perhaps airier record than what comes after in their catalog, Meddle will always be a favorite due to those four tracks. The funky breakdown of "Echoes" sets the tone for some of my favorite styles of songs for the band that come later, while "Fearless" and "A Pillow of Winds" show a really nice, softer side of the band that mark some of their most famous tracks on later works. It all kicks off with the beast of driving bass and drums of "One of These Days," a forever-lasting track that always gets my head nodding.

Reviewed on Tuesday, January 24th, 2023, 8:59am.

Such a classic. This is maybe the best encapsulation of everything My Morning Jacket is good at: lovely ballads like "Golden" and "I Will Sing You Songs," balls-to-the-wall rock tracks like "One Big Holiday" and "Run Thru," the gorgeous stuff in between like "Dancefloors" and "Mahgeetah," and then just whatever sort of transcendent glory "Steam Engine" is. Pound for pound this might be their best record, though on most days I do prefer Z. I could see a case for It Still Moves being more universally beloved just for how easy it is to listen to and enjoy, while Z can be somewhat challenging at times, or as challenging as MMJ can get. This is one of those albums that can fit so many occasions, which I think can go a long way.

Reviewed on Wednesday, January 18th, 2023, 1:36pm.

For my money the best MMJ album. The epic vocal performance of "Wordless Chorus" alone probably stands at the top of things to love about the band and this album, but the entire thing works so well. The MVP for me is "Dondante," an absolutely searing slow burn of a track that encapsulates so many great things about their live show at the time: Jim James just going ham on the vocals, top tier blues rock jamming, incredible energy, all in support of a brilliantly-written track. Throw in songs like "It Beats 4 U," "Gideon," "Off the Record", "Anytime," and "Lay Low"... come on. A classic.

Reviewed on Tuesday, January 17th, 2023, 10:56am.

Probably the last great My Morning Jacket record, and the one that came out at the height of their power, at least in my mind and my little circle of music nerd buddies. It's super playful and fun, which is a nice tendency of theirs, but it's also very musically practiced and tight. Songs like the "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream" duo, "I'm Amazed," "Evil Urges," and "Thank You Too!" all play so nicely on a summer day, which is really what this album evokes most for me, but also work in the context in which I'm listening today: a dreary morning at work. The flow of Evil Urges works really well too, as the heavy rockers like "Aluminum Park" and "Highly Suspicious" (a ridiculous, yet awesome song) are nestled right up against the ballads like "Smokin from Shootin" and "Sec Walkin" in a way that keeps you on your toes but feels very natural.

Reviewed on Tuesday, January 17th, 2023, 10:54am.

Summerteeth is probably the purest, most distilled version of Wilco there is, teetering right on the edge of alt-country and indie rock, and blending both incredibly well. I feel like it's the perfect middle ground between the first two albums and then Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost is Born, making it one of their more classic albums. I think the only thing keeping it from being my favorite is simply that I love when Wilco gets a little weird with it, which is why I tend to favor those latter two albums of the first five. It's still an easy ten out of ten, and easily one of my most-listened-to of their records given how well it straddles all of their styles. I love so many songs from this album: "Can't Stand It," "She's a Jar," "A Shot in the Arm," "I'm Always in Love," "How to Fight Loneliness," "Via Chicago" -- my god so many. Is this my favorite Wilco album?

Reviewed on Friday, January 13th, 2023, 2:37pm.

A Ghost is Born hits on all the best aspects of Wilco, in my opinion. There are many fantastic, pithy indie rock songs mixed in with longer-form freakout experimentation, easily the two sides of the Wilco coin that I appreciate and love the most. From the shattered electric guitar of the "At Least That's What You Said" opener and the extended "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" to the lighter and airier "Wishful Thinking" to some straightforward rock like "I'm A Wheel," this album has everything.

Reviewed on Friday, January 13th, 2023, 11:50am.

It'd be really hard for me to argue with anyone saying this is one of the greatest albums ever made. It ended up being my first introduction to Wilco, and will always hold a top spot for me, though maybe one or two other albums I could say I prefer on a given day. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is as close to perfect as it gets, and I think it really can fit any mood or vibe. It begins to really delve into some of the more experimental leanings that Wilco have come to lean on at times, while also maintaining really catchy and accessible songwriting. There are tons of melodies sprinkled throughout that remain memorable long after the record stops spinning.

Reviewed on Friday, January 13th, 2023, 11:47am.

This album continues to only get better for me as time goes on. In almost any other case, a 75-minute soft rock album is going to be a total non-starter for me, but when literally every song is perfect, it's pretty tough to argue with stuffing this thing as full as possible as they did. It was an obvious creative surge moment for them that continued at the highest level for another three or four albums, but for me, this is when Wilco became Wilco. "Misunderstood," "Outtasite (Outta Mind)," "Monday," "Say You Miss Me," "The Lonely 1," I could go on and on with naming classic tracks from this record.

Reviewed on Friday, January 13th, 2023, 11:42am.

What a hell of a way to introduce Thomas Pridgen to Volta fans "Aberinkula" is. This whole album is just a monster of rock and roll, and a great answer to the more extended periods of slow exploration from Amputechture, particularly songs like the aforementioned "Aberinkula," "Conjugal Burns," and "Ilyena." The star of the show here, though, is "Goliath." It's a positively massive track to serve as the album's centerpiece, and among my very favorites of their songs as a whole. I was so glad to see them play Bonnaroo the year after this, and while I don't feel the time of day/stage was great for them, the set-opening "Goliath" is forever burned into my brain.

Reviewed on Thursday, January 12th, 2023, 1:03pm.

This is an album of some of the highest of highs in the Mars Volta's catalog, but it's just slightly uneven overall. "Viscera Eyes" and "Meccamputechture" stand up to any of the best tracks off of De-Loused and Frances the Mute, but some of the downtime, more ambient sections don't resonate as much as the atmosphere created on those albums. I think perhaps it just feels a little bit noodly. I still have a lot of love for it, and my critical eye really doesn't come out until album five or so. It's basically unconditional love for the first four albums.

Reviewed on Thursday, January 12th, 2023, 12:57pm.

It's still one of the funniest things to me that the band couldn't spare a single second of the ambient noise, bug sounds, etc to make room for the title track to their album. Despite how ridiculous that is, the principle behind that decision is really what makes Frances the Mute so great in the first place, with how meticulous and considered every single second of the album's sprawling runtime is. "Cassandra Gemini" is maybe the greatest prog rock song of all time. Frusciante rips "L'Via L'Viaquez" to pieces and in a weird way the song helped open me up to latin music more than prior. "Cygnus Vismund Cygnus" is absolutely destructive. There's not much I can say about this other than just how important it is to me. I still remember going to Best Buy in Snellville and buying the CD. I wore the CD out for years. I still remember putting that CD into the iMac in the Music Tech lab at Brookwood High School and rocking out to it. The teacher, Mr. Simpson, came over all upset I was listening to music and put the headphones on to see just what was so important, and "Cassandra Gemini" blasting into his ears. Even he couldn't maintain his anger at me, practically screaming "Oh my god! They are so tight!" over the din. Yes, they are, Mr. Simpson. Yes, they are.

Reviewed on Thursday, January 12th, 2023, 9:20am.

It's funny that the song to get me hooked on The Mars Volta was "Televators," given that it's now probably my least favorite track on De-Loused, and somewhat of an indication of the softer direction the band would ultimately lean more heavily into. The soft eeriness might have been what brought me to the band, but it's the frenetic, even chaotic, experimental hard rock that keeps me coming back again and again. When I'm really in the middle of a big Mars Volta kick, I'm convinced there has never been a better band. It's a toss-up any given day whether I prefer this debut or the follow-up, but either way, De-Loused is an all-time album to me. It contains at least five top-tier tracks in "Inertiatic ESP," "Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)," "Drunkship of Lanterns," "Cicatriz ESP" (probably my favorite), and "Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt." It's been nearly 20 years and I'm no closer to understanding a single thing they're trying to say in the lyrics, but that's never mattered. I'll always love yelling the few lines I do know.

Reviewed on Thursday, January 12th, 2023, 7:16am.

Though I admittedly will always lean toward the heavier side of Gizz's discography, this album is so delightful for me. It's one of their more cohesive efforts in my opinion, really leaning into the sonic lane that they have chosen. I really enjoy the heavy use of light synthesizers as some of the main sources of melody. The whole thing sounds like a cloud would sound. Love "Shanghai," "Dreams," "Blue Morpho," and "Interior People." This one is always going to be in rotation for me.

Reviewed on Wednesday, January 11th, 2023, 3:22pm.

Leave it to King Gizzard to mess around and make a great electronic music album. They have proven time and...time again that they can display unbelievable prowess playing just about any type of music (the thrash metal of Infest the Rats' Nest most notably comes to mind), and this is no exception. I will say that where Infest feels like a little bit more natural fit into their catalog -- they like to play those songs live, there is a more prominent Gizzness to them -- Made in Timeland feels a little bit more like a gimmick. Some elements from this album are present more fully on other projects, like the rapping of Omnium Gatherum's "Sadie Sorceress" and "The Grim Reaper" or the lilting electronics of Butterfly 3000, so this album can almost feel like a sketchbook of sorts.

Reviewed on Wednesday, January 11th, 2023, 3:16pm.

I think this album will age amazingly. It's the band at a very focused level (I don't want to say their most focused when Polygondwanaland exists), really dialed in on their vision. As a result, it's a very tight and cohesive album. I love the '70s jazz vibes this thing gives me, like Herbie Hancock or Miles Davis of that era in some parts. The title track is sprawling and amazing; getting to see them lay it down to tape on the documentary Sleeping Monster was a real treat. I think, even despite that track being so good, my favorite is actually "Astroturf," as I feel it embodies the aforementioned '70s jazz vibes the best. Such a groove.

Reviewed on Wednesday, January 11th, 2023, 1:54pm.

I actually think there is a raw energy captured here that isn't necessarily present on their debut LP, which gives it the 1-point bump. The looseness of these songs lends itself very well to the way they're recorded and played, and in some ways that energy makes it feel a little bit more essential to their essence than any kind of songwriting could have done. The "woos" are abundant, the songs are fun, and it's a great time - basically a Gizz show in spirit.

Reviewed on Wednesday, January 11th, 2023, 11:51am.

A solid, if forgettable, early effort from the Gizz. It's actually hard to believe how far the band has come from this style. I wasn't aware of the band at this time but I never would have said they'd become a favorite, if not the favorite, band of mine. Having said that, "Sea of Trees" and "Cutthroat Boogie" are still really solid tracks, even in the scope of their full output.

Reviewed on Wednesday, January 11th, 2023, 11:45am.

This honestly has no right to be as good as it is, even if it's ultimately very minor in King Gizzard's catalog. If the band didn't churn out albums at an astronomical rate, doing something this gimmicky would probably be way more of a waste of time, but it's kind of a fun blip on the radar as-is. Of their very early albums, this one is pretty solid, and really does stand out by way of the old western narration going on. The earlier albums of somewhat generic garage rock fare don't stand out like Eyes Like the Sky does in that context, so for that it's notable.

Reviewed on Wednesday, January 11th, 2023, 10:47am.

I do legitimately think there's some filler here, but the bookends are just too insanely strong with "Head On / Pill" and "Float Along – Fill Your Lungs." Especially with the band expanding more and more into live improvisation, these two tracks will continue to take on new life over their career, which doesn't really happen with a lot of the other tracks here. A couple of the middle tracks like "Let Me Mend the Past" and "Mystery Jack" are solid in their own right, but the clear stars of the show are the aforementioned bookends, and they're good enough to buoy this album near the top tier of their work.

Reviewed on Wednesday, January 11th, 2023, 8:21am.

Another kind of mish-mash album like Gumboot Soup that actually works really well. Some low points for sure, but, as is the case with seemingly all of these albums, there is at least one classic track on here. "Work This Time" and "Hot Wax" both belong on the shortlist of the best Gizz tracks. Though I do hope that these days are behind the band and this album is not one I reach to very often unless I'm doing a full discography run, it definitely has its place in their history.

Reviewed on Wednesday, January 11th, 2023, 8:04am.

This is probably the most definitive embodiment of my least favorite lane of Gizz, which is still just awesome music when the mood strikes. It even has a few really classic tracks like "Trapdoor" and "Sense." Just always gonna prefer a little bit more fuzz in my Gizzard.

Reviewed on Tuesday, January 10th, 2023, 3:20pm.

I remember when this first came out and I was less versed in the band and what they were trying to accomplish, this album was baffling to me. The opening suite of "Altered Beast" / "Alter Me" left me confused as this wasn't the style of music I knew the band to make, and it's all presented as one song suite. I might have even turned it off for the time being and moved on to something else. Coming at this now, it's a hidden gem for me. Not only is the "Alter" suite a major highlight, but the more standalone tracks, if you could call them that, like "Lord of Lightning" and "The Balrog" are major standouts. It all comes together with the Han Tyumi-narrated "Murder of the Universe" suite, which really came into focus when I saw them close their set with it. It felt massive, apocalyptic, frightening, and awesome. Everything they were going for.

Reviewed on Monday, January 9th, 2023, 8:51am.

If the three other tracks were as good as "The River," we might be talking about an all-time favorite album here. I feel they accomplished basically that with Ice, Death... in 2022, but this lays some major fundamental groundwork for that album to occur. It cements my opinion that this band is at their best when they are loose, feeling each other out, like a jam band, but doing things in their own style unlike any jam band out there. It's almost rhythmic jamming over taking turns soloing, which I think works incredibly well. Each song feels like an organism, shifting and pulsing as it moves along. Seeing them play "The River" back in October was a highlight for me for sure, and really showcased what I'm talking about above. Cavs wholly led the jam and the band followed his lead, all working together to build a big soundscape rather than something flashy.

Reviewed on Friday, January 6th, 2023, 12:52pm.

Omnium Gatherum could be described as uneven, but even the spots that some might call "missteps" I find very enjoyable. It's like an 80-minute album, and maybe 70 of those minutes are fantastic. It's not perfect, hence the 9, but it's damn good. I think an album could have zero listenable qualities after "The Dripping Tap" and still slot in at the top of any artist's discography. It's one of those songs that I'll never forget hearing for the first time, putting this album on at my desk and just being absolutely blown away for its entirety. I think "Tap" really kicked off the band clicking for me at a much deeper level than it had before, and taps into some of the elements of Gizz that I hope they continue to explore - which they did later in the year with Ice, Death... (probably the reason it's near the top of my rankings for them).

Reviewed on Friday, January 6th, 2023, 9:27am.

As it stands today, in 2023, this has still got to be their crowning achievement and the perfect representation of the energy this band brings creatively. It's almost too much to handle in how it's a constant barrage of rock and roll, but in the best possible way. A teeth-grinder, for sure, and I mean that in a positive sense, as weird as that sounds. It's an album that is really the sum of its parts in how they crafted it to be a continuous loop, but it still contains some of Gizz's all-time great tracks like "Robot Stop" and "Gamma Knife."

Reviewed on Friday, January 6th, 2023, 8:28am.

Quintessential early Gizz. They could have just kept making dozens of albums like this and still held a special place in my heart. It's fast, it's furious, and it's super fun. There's not a bad track here, and most of them are flat-out great, in particular the opening suite of "I'm In Your Mind," "I'm Not In Your Mind," "Cellophane," and "I'm In Your Mind Fuzz." Non-stop psych-garage greatness.

Reviewed on Thursday, January 5th, 2023, 12:28pm.

A really nice continuation of K.G. that is just more of the same microtonal goodness. I really find myself enjoying this duo of albums more and more as time goes on; they just offer such a nice range of styles within the microtonal "setting" that there are always interesting twists and turns. I think as time goes on, we will see "K.G.L.W." become more of a live staple and considered to be one of their pantheon tracks.

Reviewed on Thursday, January 5th, 2023, 9:37am.

I actually might prefer this even to Flying Microtonal Banana, though I wouldn't say any track on here stands above "Rattlesnake." It just feels stronger front-to-back, with some of their weirder/more experimental songs working really well in this context, and being Gizz, they of course somehow don't feel so experimental to me. It all just works. I was getting ready to type out the highlights of the album when I realized I consider pretty much every one of these tracks to be highlights. If I had to pick a favorite? Right now, maybe "Intrasport."

Reviewed on Thursday, January 5th, 2023, 9:05am.

Much like Polygondwanaland is an accomplishment for making complexity feel groovy, Gizz's microtonal music, with this being the first full album of such material, feels accessible while using unorthodox scales and tuning. The album all flows as one cohesive unit, but there are definitely some distinctly awesome songs here, like the all-time classic "Rattlesnake," "Open Water," and "Sleep Drifter." If there is any knock on the album it's that maybe it gets a little unfocused toward the end, or if not unfocused, at least a little less song-focused. The high points on this are too undeniable, though. Just a little less than perfect.

Reviewed on Thursday, January 5th, 2023, 7:50am.

This style of Gizz's is probably the one that I reach for the least. I enjoy the flow of the album and overall it's an enjoyable experience, especially the middle section where Han-Tyumi makes an appearance. Something like "Tezeta" hits really nicely, as it's a really unique sound and structure that feels very intentional. Some of the rest of Sketches comes off as kind of generic light psych rock.

Reviewed on Wednesday, January 4th, 2023, 3:00pm.

A definite crowning achievement for King Gizzard. It's amazing to me that they are able to tap into such complexity and math-like song structures and rhythms while still maintaining incredible listenability. These songs are both very hard to pin down but also hypnotic and grooving. I will be interested to see when their career is over and we have like 146 albums to choose from, how near the top Polygondwanaland remains. If I had to guess, it would be near the very top, if not at the very top itself. "Crumbling Castle" and the "Horology" suite among the album's many stunning standouts.

Reviewed on Wednesday, January 4th, 2023, 2:07pm.

Of the two "Timeland" albums, this is definitely my favorite. A nice continuation of their jammier side, the two fifteen-minute tracks really breathe while constantly growing and shifting, which is a nice accomplishment. They never feel too packed or too spacey.

Reviewed on Wednesday, January 4th, 2023, 1:31pm.

For the album that is somewhat of an afterthought in King Gizz's stellar 2017 run of albums, there is actually a lot to love here. I think the fact that Gumboot Soup is not saddled to a "theme" works in its favor, as it gets to showcase a little bit of everything that they can do, and some of these tracks stand tall inside the various styles that have become lynchpins for the band.

Reviewed on Wednesday, January 4th, 2023, 1:25pm.

"Gizztober" will forever be a fond memory for me. The band was firing on all cylinders, releasing three albums during the month, going on a massive US tour (where I actually got to see them for the first time), and my personal interest was at an all-time high. For me, Ice, Death... is the pinnacle of it all. It so perfectly captures the energy of the band at this time, playing delicious krauty jams, really having fun together and exploring songs to their depths and peaks. "Ice V," "Iron Lung," and "Magma" are all-timers.

Reviewed on Wednesday, January 4th, 2023, 1:23pm.

It never ceases to amaze me how this band can constantly reinvent themselves, dipping into any genre they want, somehow making music at the top level within that genre, all while keeping their core identity dripping from every track. This album might be the crowning achievement in that regard. It's probably going to grow to be one of my favorite metal albums of all time, from a band that really isn't even a metal band. Astonishing. Straight rippers from start to finish.

Reviewed on Wednesday, January 4th, 2023, 10:00am.

I remember when this album came out, it was right on the heels of Infest the Rats' Nest, which I feel completely turned my perception of the band on its head, and it felt like a bit of a step backward. I think I had convinced myself that Gizz just needed to become a full-on thrash metal band, which I see now does them a big disservice, and this album proves it. It's a completely different style, still sticking with the environmental theme that I enjoy, but eschewing heavy metal for a kaleidoscope of psych. There are some real gems here like the somewhat goofy title track, "Boogieman Sam," the propulsive swamp-stomp of "This Thing," and the pulsing electro of the album closer, "Cyboogie." I wouldn't say it has any all-time classic tracks, but meshes really well as a whole.

Reviewed on Wednesday, January 4th, 2023, 9:00am.