King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have done a tremendous job of establishing themselves as anything but conventional. The Australian-bred monsters have built a discography reliant on experimentation and growth, setting themselves up as an unpredictable, artistic powerhouse. This freedom to roam from one genre to the next has had the band exploring everything from thrashing metal to psychedelic pop, and its latest outing is no different. Coming off the hardcore nature of their other 2023 LP PetroDragonic Apocalypse, King Gizzard shapeshifts yet again like the Lizard Wizard it is. The Silver Cord is the sprawling and ambitious latest creation from the prolific band and, just as promised, it is bursting with unpredictability. Everything from the album rollout to the songs itself screams everything that makes King Gizzard so great, along with their welcomed experimentation.
The Silver Cord is a meticulously pieced-together work of art. The album is a total of 7 tracks with the full tracklist adding up to 14 mind-altering examples of electro-pop fusion. The first half features short yet potent versions of the seven new compositions while the latter is the attention-demanding extended edition, adding almost an hour of music to the full LP. Regardless of which version you start out with, you’re in for a hyperactive treat. The Silver Cord has King Gizzard crafting brightly colored, electronic-driven pop tracks lined with soaring melodies and dense textures. The album is built around seamless transitions, giving the full listening experience a coherent feel. The extended version offers even more of the otherworldly musicianship that makes The Silver Cord feel like a warp-speed trip through the endless creativity of one of the most exciting bands in modern music.
The word “infectious” does not even begin to describe the deep grooves displayed on this LP. King Gizzard created a face-melting set of songs that are driven by wonky synths and off-kilter song structure. The sharp bleeps of drum patterns cut through your speakers with detailed precision as the varying vocals provide a needed soft spot at moments. A song like “Swan Song”, a highlight from the album, features harmonious vocals that are quickly interrupted by a baritone grumble, the perfect example of the sonic juxtaposition the band seemed to be aiming for. From the first note, you are thrown into a whirlwind of robotic orchestrations that bend and twist around the room like a snake coiling around a tree, gripping your ears and not letting go until it decides it’s time.
Every time you press play on a King Gizzard album, you are immediately transported to their wildly imaginative world. There is no better way to enter this altered reality than the extended mix of The Silver Cord. The band providing us with a shorter, more direct version of the LP is generous but the real magic is in the hour-and-a-half-long extended cut. The instrumentation reaches a brand new level of transformation as the freedom of a 10-minute song allows the arrangements to reach their full potential. A song like “Chang’e” now features a twinkling key solo and gorgeous intro while the fiery outro “Extinction” gets its uptempo dance arrangement stretched to its furthest, mesmerizing extent.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard strike futuristic pop gold on The Silver Cord. The expansive band’s latest outing has them dancing around electronic arrangements with technicolored tones and jaw-dropping melodies for another ambitious LP to put under their belt. The band takes full advantage of their unpredictable reputation to craft an ambitious piece of art packed with enough personality and sparkle for it to be considered an undeniably fantastic release.
