Released: 2013

Genres: Spaghetti Western, Spoken-Word

The Musiquarium’s Eyes Like the Sky Review Score: 6 out of 10

On King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s second studio album, the Australian septet are already changing genres, switching from garage/surf punk to a spoken-word western album, inspired by spaghetti westerns and the 2010 video game, Red Dead Redemption.

Like the 12 Bar Bruise track Sam Cherry’s Last Stand, Eyes Like the Sky is also narrated by Ambrose Kenny-Smith’s father, Broderick Smith, whose spoken word delivery makes for the only vocals on the album. Here, Broderick Smith tells a story that takes place on the American Frontier, with tales of cowboys, Indians, horses and gunfights.

The music on Eyes Like the Sky is quite good, displaying the versatility and musical-flexibility of KGATLW, with the band fully immersing themselves in the western theme, though the lack of any vocal hooks or traditional vocals keeps it from having much replay value. As an experiment though, Eyes Like the Sky mostly succeeds.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard on Discogs.

Back to the 2013 Album Reviews Guide or the King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard