Released: 2014

Genres: Psychedelic Rock, Psychedelic Pop, Garage Rock, Indie Pop

The Musiquarium’s Oddments Review Score: 6.5 out of 10

Despite only having previously released three albums, it seems that the prolific King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have already got enough material for an outtakes collection, with Oddments.

Alluda Majaka is an energetic instrumental opener, with some middle-eastern flavours. Stressin’ is laidback lo-fi, and one of the best songs here. Vegemite is a goofy single (not unlike a song like The Flaming Lips’ She Loves Jelly), which has the band indulging in their Australian roots, with an ode to the gross salty spread that the Aussies just seem to love for some reason — it’s also so very annoying. It’s Got Old is a Beck-like bluesy song with harmonicas.

Work This Time is a moody lo-fi track and the other album highlight. Hot Wax is somewhat reminiscent of The Velvet Underground’s White Light/White Heat title track. Homeless Man in Adidas is an acoustic song with minimal percussion. ABABCD, Pipe-Dream, and the title track are all very short and are basically just unfinished scraps.

Due to the nature of the album being a collection of leftovers from previous recording sessions, Oddments is easily King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s most unfocused album yet, with very few highlights, though the kitchen sink approach may appeal to some, and it is still more enjoyable than their first couple of projects.

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

Back to the 2014 Album Reviews Guide or the King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard