After debuting with records that were a cross between a crazed garage rock band and a trippy band of psychedelic warriors,
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
's third album,
Eyes Like the Sky
, was a total change of pace. The band worked with singer (and father of the groups' harmonica and keyboard player
Ambrose Kenny-Smith
)
Broderick Smith
to craft what they called a Western audio book. In a suitably grizzled voice,
Smith
narrated a tale of guns, murder, and the American frontier while the band backed him in rambling spaghetti western style. It's a good pairing --
's vocal carries real gravitas and the band convincingly whip up clouds of dust and sweat behind him. Guitarists
Stu Mackenzie
,
Cook Craig
, and
Joey Walker
do an especially fine job of creating atmosphere.
Morricone
would have been proud of their efforts. The story itself is harsh and powerful, telling a tale that's been heard before, but the music makes it sound fresh. It's perhaps not a vital piece in the kaleidoscopic puzzle that is the
King Gizzard
catalog, but it's good for a listen or two. ~ Tim Sendra