My Top 25 King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Songs

[puffin]

I have spent the last couple hours sorting (almost) every single King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard song into a ranked list and I can't help but share it somewhere. I'll begin by quickly listing out songs 50 through 26, then go more into depth for entries 25 to 11, and then each of my top 10 songs will have a slightly longer write-up (don't worry, I stopped myself from going too far).

Top 50

50. Planet B (Infest the Rats' Nest, 2019)
49. If Not Now, Then When? (L.W., 2021)
48. Timeland (Made In Timeland, 2022)
47. Sea of Trees (12 Bar Bruise, 2012)
46. Astroturf (Changes, 2022)
45. Catching Smoke (Butterfly 3000, 2021)
44. Organ Farmer (Infest the Rats' Nest, 2019)
43. Nuclear Fusion (Flying Microtonal Banana, 2017)
42. Most of What I Like (Paper Mâché Dream Balloon, 2015)
41. Boogieman Sam (Fishing for Fishies, 2019)
40. Evil Death Roll (Nonagon Infinity, 2016)
39. Change (Changes, 2022)
38. Shanghai (Butterfly 3000, 2021)
37. Self-Immolate (Infest the Rat's Nest, 2019)
36. Head On/Pill (Float Along - Fill Your Lungs, 2013)
35. This Thing (Fishing for Fishies, 2019)
34. Smoke & Mirrors (Made In Timeland, 2022)
33. Paper Mâché Dream Balloon (Paper Mâché Dream Balloon, 2015)
32. Flamethrower (PetroDragonic Apocalypse, 2023)
31. The Castle in the Air (Polygondwanaland, 2017)
30. Intrasport (K.G., 2020)
29. Sense (Paper Mâché Dream Balloon, 2015)
28. Robot Stop (Nonagon Infinity, 2016)
27. Hell (Infest the Rat's Nest, 2019)
26. Deserted Dunes Welcome Weary Feet (Polygondwanaland, 2017)

Top 25

25. Sleep Drifter (Flying Microtonal Banana, 2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U72rbtrufws
My favourite song from Flying Microtonal Banana, Sleep Drifter is one of the best love songs in the band's discography. The track is based off of a Turkish song called Kara Toprak by Aşık Veysel and is about the state between consciousness and unconsciousness when one is falling asleep, and being able to feel connected to someone you love while in this state even when "in a hotel far away".

24. Dragon (PetroDragonic Apocalypse, 2023)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpUKO-WKaqo
When Gila Monster released as the first single for PetroDragonic Apocalypse, I have to say I was a little disappointed. Not because the song was bad, but because it didn't feel like an improvement on the band's last metal album, Infest The Rats' Nest. Then, Dragon released as the second single, blew my mind, and melted my face off. Combing elements of thrash metal and progressive rock, this 10 minute epic sounds like the world is falling apart around you in the best way possible and blows the socks off of Rats' Nest. The section in the middle of the song with Joey chanting in Latin is probably one of the best moments in the band's discography.

23. Magma (Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava, 2022)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fXqRAyu1d0
Magma was tough to rank because on one hand it is arguably the band's greatest live song, or at least in the top five, but on the other hand the studio version falls a bit flat in comparison. I still love it though, and it absolutely has one of the best basslines in King Gizzard's discography.

22. 'Mind Fuzz Medley' (I'm In Your Mind Fuzz, 2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUvVhmOmXxw
Okay yes, this is technically four songs but fuck you it's one song, and arguably the band's most iconic at that. This song is the precursor to the idea of a never ending album that resulted in 2016's Nonagon Infinity and the culmination of the psych-tinged garage rock that makes up the first few years of the Gizz discog. Often, when I think of King Gizzard I think of those four drumstick hits at the beginning of I'm In Your Mind.

21. O.N.E. (L.W., 2021)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkZd2lBQb2c
From it's harmonica soaked intro that makes you feel like you are floating on a cloud late at night, to the criminally short guitar solo later in the song that never fails to give me goosebumps, O.N.E. packs so much into a small package which makes it surprisingly addictive. This is definitely one of my picks for the most underrated Gizz songs, and it also has one of my favourite music videos!

20. Work This Time (Oddments, 2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GycxF0R0G8
I personally think that Joey is the best in the band when it comes to writing emotional music, and this song is the perfect example of that. The second verse has to be one of my all time favourite verses:

"It's kind of funny / That I live the poetry I can not write / But you, my beauty / Shall be fixed forever loosely in my heart"

The album version of the song is an absolute gem of the band's early discography and can be a transcendental experience when in the right mood. The live version, which I have been lucky enough to experience, takes the song to a whole different level with an ever-changing but always-phenomenal guitar solo from Joey.

19. Am I in Heaven? (I'm In Your Mind Fuzz, 2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZlvpzm_b4w
When making this list I asked myself out loud: "Are you really gonna put Am I in Heaven? above the Mind Fuzz Medley?" The answer is an absolute yes. It's basically that song but turned up to 11, but also more beautiful at the same time. The song flows back and forth between a psychedelic, acoustic ballad and a crazy, chaotic garage rock banger soaked in about eighteen layers of reverb and distortion.

It is funny how the song opens with the line "I've got ideas in my brain about the end of the world that I won't even say" and after this song the band would go on to write like six albums that are explicitly about the end of the world.

18. Iron Lung (Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava, 2022)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb0fW8yQCHc
It is a testament to the quality of music that King Gizzard has put out over the years that Iron Lung only lands at eighteenth. This song is an absolute roller coaster ride that pulls you into it's psychedelic world, melts your face off, and then spits you back out again lusting for more. Though it doesn't even crack my personal top fifteen, Iron Lung is arguably the band's opus and Ambrose delivers what is probably the best vocal performance on any Gizz track. There is a reason I almost passed out in the pit when they played it as the final song of the night. If you take one thing away from this post, it should be that you should click the link above and watch Iron Lung live on KEXP, it could change your life.

17. Ice V (Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava, 2022)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydeV1_8pM4o
Ice V is the King Gizzard summer song and the King Gizzard dance party song. I find it physically impossible not to move my whole body as I'm listening to this song, even just now while I'm typing this sentence. Placing it over Iron Lung was not an easy decision, and it's one I'll probably look back on as a bit stupid, but for now it feels right. With the exception of maybe one song higher on this list, Ice V is easily the most fun you can have listening to Gizz.

16. The Lord Of Lightning vs Balrog (Murder of the Universe, 2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd3vwwXArMQ
Don't even try to tell me this is more than one song, Murder of the Universe is a three song album and if you disagree you're WRONG!!! This may be my least favourite of the album's three chapters, but I think it does the best job of painting a picture of the action it describes. I love the way it connects both thematically and literally with Nonagon Infinity, and I love how Stu plays with the feedback on his guitar when shit starts to go down.

15. Hell's Itch (Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava, 2022)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aUKofcKfmg
I am the #1 Hell's Itch stan. Lyrically, though very fucked up and not for the light of heart, it is one of my absolute favourite King Gizzard songs and I find a lot of personal meaning in it. Though maybe the song takes a little too long getting there, Joey's verse at the climax of the song is quite possibly the greatest moment of catharsis in the band's discography. While maybe not as technically impressive as Ice V, Iron Lung, or Magma, Hell's Itch stands out as uniquely beautiful to me. Pain is easier to endure than an itch.

14. Gaia (Omnium Gatherum, 2022)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRVE_-th1EI
I may have made it sound earlier like Dragon is my favourite King Gizzard metal song, but it's actually this: Gaia. This mostly comes down to the song's final minute or so, dominated by a guitar solo which I'd call the most grand or epic section in the band's discography. It feels like music that would play while you are ascending through the clouds on your way to fight God. It's another song on this list that I've been lucky enough to see live, and the extended drum solo that Cavs always sticks in the middle of live performances is never short of awesome.

13. Pleura (L.W., 2021)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPJm7lYMjJs
Here we are at a noteworthy point in this list, my favourite microtonal King Gizzard song. Pleura flew under the radar for me for a long time, but once I really paid attention to it I was hooked. For me it's easily the best song from the three 'lockdown records' and contains one of my favourite ever choruses. The song also has a really neat music video with it's own live version of the song which was filmed, edited, and uploaded in less than 24 hours. Pleura is yet another one of my favourite songs that I've been lucky enough to see live, and there are still three more of those to go in the top 10!

12. Magenta Mountain (Omnium Gatherum, 2022)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Gm2TudHe0s
Magenta Mountain is not as technically musically impressive as most other songs in my top 20, but lyrically it is very special to me. The idea of having this fantastical, impossible dream that you would do anything for is very relatable, and I think everyone has their own "Magenta Mountain".

11. Inner Cell (Polygondwanaland, 2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhGtUxitIxo
I thought about lumping Inner Cell, Loyalty, and Horology into one song but I decided against it because I think unlike the Murder of the Universe chapters or the Mind Fuzz Medley, they are good enough on their own to rank highly anyways (if I did combine them they would totally be #1 lol). Inner Cell is hauntingly beautiful, especially Joey's vocals during the chorus and the synths in the last minute or so of the song that never fail to give me chills.

Top 10

10. The Fourth Colour (Polygondwanaland, 2017)

The final song of Polygondwanaland is another amazing moment of catharsis in the band's discography. The narrator is ushered into godhood with triumphant guitars that eventually collapse into a minute of ambient synths as he is born again and presumably sees the universe laid out before him. Though, it is unclear if the narrator himself has achieved ultimate power or if his body has simply become a vessel for something else. Eventually, Cavs drums pull us into an all out burst of noise and wailing guitars that almost cry out in agony. I have spent countless hours trying to interpret this ending, and Polygondwanaland's story in general and that's why I love it so much.

The bassline in this song such an earworm, and one of the best examples of the complicated polyrhythms featured on the album. The drums are simple but so effective, and the guitars and harmonica sound grand, triumphant, and hopeful (until they don't). The Fourth Colour is another amazing song that I've seen live, and I'll never forget how excited the crowd was when they transitioned from the end of Crumbling Castle into it (like you can hear at the start of the video above). I think the only time we got louder was when they started playing...

9. Gamma Knife (Nonagon Infinity, 2016)


Gamma Knife is King Gizzard; King Gizzard is Gamma Knife. If you want to understand King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard in 5 minutes, just listen to this song and everything should make sense. If you boil the band down to its essence, it is this song. Even if it isn't my favourite album, there is no denying that Nonagon Infinity is King Gizzard's most important contribution to the world of music.

Every instrument sounds perfect, in the song's own ugly and distortion-soaked way, as do Stu's vocals. The result is a timeless sound that could have been recorded in the 1960s, the 2160s, or even the 1260s if they had electric guitars and LSD. Cavs drum solo in the middle of the song isn't as technically impressive as what he's capable of these days, but it fits the song perfectly and kind of gives you a nice break as the rest of the song charges forward with unrelenting energy while remaining catchy and danceable. There is a reason the crowd goes insane when Gamma Knife is played, it is unmatched.

8. Loyalty (Polygondwanaland, 2017)

Fan-made music video by STRIPEDBEATLE

If Inner Cell was hauntingly beautiful, its sister Loyalty is sinister and crushing. From the song's beginning with thundering, distorted synths that close in around you and make you feel trapped and anxious, to Joey's apathetic, almost robotic vocals which perfectly fit the narrator who is not mortal, but "everything". Stu's flute brings a bit of beauty into the mix but it feels off, even wrong.

By the third verse, ushered in by a fantastic bassline, the instruments and vocals swell with energy and anger as the god-king of Polygondwanaland reaches their boiling point:

"What is with these crimes of treason?
I will fight this inquisition if I have to
I will not surrender if I'm backed into a corner
I will draw and quarter all their children
Just to prove I'm not a coward
I will put them all on Judas Cradle
Just to show them a god incarnate"

Until this point the song has mostly been dominated by sinister synths, but now it's taken over by crushing and screeching guitars. While Polygondwanaland is generally a very clean and pristine sounding album, Loyalty's final section is as noisy and ugly as Murder of the Universe which really compliments the sense of fear and helplessness the listener gets from the narrative.

7. Hypertension (Laminated Denim, 2022)

There is a reason why my username on most social media is now "insideoutghost", and that reason is that I love this song. Hypertension is incredibly cryptic in its lyrics, but is pure jammy, psychedelic fun in terms of the music itself. At exactly 15 minutes long it is one of the band's longest tracks, but it makes the time fly by. The song flows perfectly, whenever you seem to start getting bored of a particular section it switches to something different and probably even better. The whole band, especially the three guitarists, are firing on all cylinders throughout the entire 15 minutes. The drums aren't as flashy as other recent King Gizzard songs but instead drive the song along in a 'motorik' fashion a la krautrock bands like NEU! and Can.

The song's final three minutes or so are some of the best in the band's entire discography. The refrain of "I caught that hypertension / In another dimension / Inside my time invention / I've laminated denim" is bizarre and cryptic but insanely catchy. What the fuck does laminating denim even mean man?? With around 90 seconds left the song takes a brief moment to slow down and introduce an amazing flute part. This section (and the outro/refrain section in general) is such a cathartic moment to me, it's difficult to explain but I get a "look how far we've made it, now let's go even further" vibe from the slow section before it builds up again. It feels so triumphant. A woo from Stu brings the refrain back for the final minute, the song swells, and as we reach closer and closer to the end of the song the tension builds before the big release at the end of the song. There is a reason the video for this one is just a countdown, it's the greatest New Year's song ever made.

6. The River (Quarters!, 2015)

The River is the most classic Gizzard jam, a psychedelic jazz rock four-parter that really feels like you're floating down a river while listening to it. In the first part the waters are calm and slow, forcing you to relax as you drift down The River. However, you eventually come to the rapids as the song speeds up in its second section. This velocity is only temporary however, as the third section is a reprise of the first but with a little bit more going on. One thing I love about this song is how at the beginning of the song all the guitars are pretty much playing the same thing, but as it goes on more and more is added on until the final section of the song where there are basically three completely different guitar leads being played at the same time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP3stlzXxDg
The "Evil River", also probably just the best version of the song in general
The whole song is great, but said final section is really why I love it. It just has such a great energy to it, it's really that simple. The River is one of King Gizzard's most iconic songs, being a staple of their live shows since its release. These days it has transformed into quite the beast, with certain iterations of it being dubbed "the Evil River", as the jam grows quite heavy.

5. The Tale of the Altered Beast (Murder of the Universe, 2017)

As soon as the dust settles, you can see
A new world in place of where the old one had been
Your skin is crawling with dry, crusted mud
And your naked feet are wet in a pool of blood
And the whistle of the wind in your ears is so loud
That your memories have blown up in a mushroom cloud
And as your eyes accommodate, there appears by the meadow
A brute like a bear with a long, dark shadow
And you violently shake over what you have seen
As you remember the tale of the Altered Beast...

Unbelievable. Face melting. Ugly and horrible. The altered beast will eat you, spit you back out, and infect your mind. This song is the definition of unrelenting. Of the three chapters of Murder of the Universe, this first one is the noisiest and ugliest. The guitars and harmonica feel like wild animals as they screech and howl, as does Stu on vox; his voice is absolutely perfect on this album he fits the sound like no one else could. Leah Senior's narration also shines during this chapter, where it is most prevalent. The Tale of the Altered Beast is also notably more high-energy than the other two chapters on the album. The tempo is constantly shifting but it always feels like it's pushing forward and yanking you along with it.

I love how the chapter's ending, Life / Death, sort of sounds like the ending screen of an old video game, as it was named after the arcade game "Altered Beast". Musically speaking, this is the best chapter of Murder of the Universe. It has the best riffs, it's easily the most exciting and energetic, and features my favourite vocals. Only problem? No Han-Tyumi.

4. Han-Tyumi & The Murder Of The Universe (Murder of the Universe, 2017)

Presented without comment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4_Kaa9gAU0
If you need further convincing

3. The Dripping Tap (Omnium Gatherum, 2022)

Where were you when The Dripping Tap released? I know where I was: asleep. Then I woke up, and had my mind blown. The end of lockdowns in Australia meant the boys were back recording music together again, and with their longest and jammiest song ever. After a slow and serene intro from Ambrose, the song smacks you in the face with blistering speed and energy. The Dripping Tap is by far King Gizzard's most fun song. It's as unrelenting as The Tale of the Altered Beast but with the harshness and ugliness replaced with joy and fun.

What else do you want me to say? The drums are on point? The bass line is awesome? The guitar tone is mesmerizing? It's fuckin' King Gizzard man these boys know a thing or two about playin' groovy tunes. Just turn your brain off a little bit, start dancing, and just try to get "drip drip from the tap don't slip on the drip" out of your head.

2. Crumbling Castle (Polygondwanaland, 2017)

If you're surpised to see this at #2 instead of #1, so am I. After all, Crumbling Castle is their best song, it is King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard's magnum opus. Is it my favourite? Well, not anymore but that's a story for the next song's section.

Crumbling Castle is perfectly constructed song. The build up to climax is paced to perfection and the song has just enough tension throughout for the climax to be a great moment of catharsis. The song weaves in and out of complex polyrhythms and there is often so much going on at once it's like hearing two songs at once (especially with the double drums), but it works. I have listened to this song hundreds of times, and I still hear new things every once and a while. The song is psychedelic, not in the fuzzed out distorted fashion of albums like Nonagon Infinity or I'm In Your Mind Fuzz, but in a more spacey way. The modulating synth section leading up to the song's climax is a perfect example of this, pulling you into a trance so when the guitars and drums come back in it's a shock to the system. King Gizzard's opus is amazing lyrically as well, with the highlight for me being:

"The sounds of the constant lightning / Would be enough to block out the / Fall of the end of the world /If it were not for our tinnitus from the bomb"

Seeing this song performed live was easily one of the best experiences of my entire life. That's something I think I'll be able to look back on in 20 or 30 years and be really grateful for. I saw King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard in their prime performing their greatest ever song. But as I said, it isn't my favourite anymore...



1. Float Along - Fill Your Lungs (Float Along - Fill Your Lungs, 2013)

The world is shit and it's getting worse. That can easily be the message that you take out of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard's music, especially from albums like Infest The Rats' Nest or Murder of the Universe. Stu himself has said something along the lines of 'it's not like King Gizzard to have a happy ending'. It's easy to fall into a pit of despair about the state of the world, I know I have and that is part of the reason I resonate so much with this band. They care about the world, and I do too. Whenever I feel hopeless, I put on this song. It's warmth picks me up, embraces me, and helps me see the good that's left in the world, and the strength that's left in me.

Float Along - Fill Your Lungs is a freeing song. It frees you of stress and of worry. There are no problems in the world while this song is playing. For six minutes and forty five seconds you are free. You don't have work or school tomorrow. You're rent isn't due and the world isn't on fire. You are free of your life; you are free to live. You are free to "just float along and fill your lungs".

Thank you to Stu, Joey, Ambrose, Cookie, Cavs, Lucas, and Eric. For everything - all the music and experiences you have given me - but especially for this song. Thank you so much.





and for fun, here's my 10 least favourite King Gizzard songs (with certain things not included, like Eyes Like The Sky and Butterfly 3001), in order from the best of the worst to the worst of the worst:

10. Dead-Beat (Willougby's Beach, 2011)
9. I'm Not a Man Unless I Have a Woman (Float Along - Fill Your Lungs, 2013)
8. Crookedile (Willoughby's Beach, 2011)
7. Short Change (Changes, 2022)
6. Dreams (Butterfly 3000, 2021)
5. High Hopes Low (12 Bar Bruise, 2012)
4. Stoned Mullet (Willoughby's Beach, 2011)
3. Predator X (Omnium Gatherum, 2022)
2. Some Of Us (K.G., 2020)
1. 12 Bar Bruise (12 Bar Bruise, 2012)

If you made it this far, thank you for reading. This took a long time (8 hrs lol), I'm going to bed now.

[2005hondaccord]

omg crumbiing castie #2 was a plot twist i wasn't expecting !

[puffin]

omg crumbiing castie #2 was a plot twist i wasn't expecting !

i know right i thought it would be #1 until i got there and realized i like FAFYL more