Is there ever enough King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard music? Considering their ever-growing discography the Australian psych garage heroes themselves don’t seem to think so, and neither do the Italian psych heads of A/lpaca, as they truly wear their influences on their sleeves. The real question is: do they really Make It Better? Well, it’s probably better to let the listener be the real judge of that, but I can say that this debut album is as enjoyable as it is impressive.
First of all; all of the songs on Make It Better are memorable ear worms that will quickly nestle themselves in your earholes and make you hum along phrases like “death in the citadel!”, “Make it better” and “bring me to the city…”, so that’s already a job well done in a genre that often tends to focus on atmosphere and less on proper songwriting. There’s plenty to move your limbs to as well, with A/lpaca focussing strongly on postpunk-y drums and faster paced jams in line with King Gizzard songs like Robot Stop and Rattlesnake.
I do have to say that the songs on Make It Better are a bit less intricate and layered, and might even come across a bit one dimensional, but in return they slam a whole lot of directness and urgency on the table, which definitely counts for something I guess.
In conclusion I’d like to point out that I hate having to compare A/lpaca to their Australian peers so much, but they should probably take it as a compliment. After all, there really aren’t many weirdo psych garage bands out there with a similarly fierce and adventurous approach, and definitely not in Europe. So I do think once the borders re-open, these guys have their work cut out for them touring!
Weirdo Shrine 