Music

Below are all of the albums I have listened to and logged, along with my ratings and reviews.



Score Artist Title Year Genre Review
music
10
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava 2022 Rock

"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.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava - Rock - 2022 - "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.
music
9
Makaya McCraven In These Times 2022 Jazz

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.

Makaya McCraven - In These Times - Jazz - 2022 - 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."
music
9
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard Omnium Gatherum 2022 Rock

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.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Omnium Gatherum - Rock - 2022 - 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).
music
8
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard Changes 2022 Rock

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.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Changes - Rock - 2022 - 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.
music
8
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard Laminated Denim 2022 Rock

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.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Laminated Denim - Rock - 2022 - 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.
music
7
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard Made in Timeland 2022 Rock

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.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Made in Timeland - Rock - 2022 - 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.