There would be a time when the release of an eighteenth album would be met with little more than a sigh and gentle shrugging of the shoulders.
Time for King Gizzard to pack out an LP full of dirty riffage and psych soaked lyrics.
Nope, not this time. Here, the album opens with Yours, a playful ditty that pulls the rug from under an unsuspecting listener.
“I only wanna wake up in my dreams / I only feel alive in a daze” soothes Dreams, while Blue Morpho throws a few curveballs in odd time signature jumps and stylists twists and turns - and your editor absolutely loves it.
Interior People and Catching Smoke are the obvious attention grabbers, on a record that the Melbourne-based King G have said has no singles, these two tracks really lay the foundation of what could have been a full on party banger.
As it is, Butterfly 3000 is cyclical, patterns and rhythms repeat, undulate and mutate, sometimes in the same song.
For those of you familiar with Tame Impala, Groove Armada, Lemon Jelly, Royksopp and have dabbled in Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Fairport Convention and Rush, then you will find a lot to love here.
Fans of the ‘early stuff’ may baulk at the more sun kissed direction the band has taken but moving away from the confines of the ‘rock’ genre, they’ve taken a path to freedom.
So much of this record is made to be played at the magic hour, sunsets, beers, BBQs, late night chat.
True, there are elements that are an acquired taste...after all there are still people who put weird sauces on their burgers, but really you need to applaud the ideas and invention on show here.
If KGATLW can keep this output up, then I’ll see you for album 36.
Butterfly 300 is out now on KGLW.
