King Gizzard & The Wizard Lizard have had a busy year, with this being their fourth out of five proposed albums in 2017 (the fifth due around Christmas). Their gift to the fans being that they have been given access to the digital, vinyl, and CD masters so they can produce and even sell their own versions for profit.
Polygondwanaland leads listeners to accompany the narrator on a quest to find an elusive supercontinent to which man has never ventured, with the band using each song to tell the story in their usual eccentric manner.
The album starts off with ‘Crumbling Castle’, a 10-minute trip into psychedelia with the essence of krautrock accompanying 70’s prog rock dramatics; this is by far the best song on the album. ‘Deserted Dunes Welcome Weary Feet’ is a heavy, experimental track and synth-laden treat for the ears, making it one of the stand out tracks .
The album is a melting pot of their past 5 years of work, but in a refined way. By far their most experimental and genre-defying album, like most of King Gizzard’s discography it feels like a sensory overload. ‘Tetrachromacy’ leads us to search for a fourth colour that only a gifted individual can witness, whilst ‘The Castle In The Air’ is a prime example of the albums excellent storytelling, emblazoned with a futuristic edge in the way of lasers.
The album concludes with ‘The Fourth Colour’ a momentous finish of manic drums and overdriven guitar. Overall it is a very impressive 12th album from the Australian outfit, fusing together the sounds of their 5 years of work into this spectacular album. They have proved that you can simultaneously release multiple impressive albums in a year and tour nonstop.
Rating: 4/5