Alright lads, to quote the Monty Python:
WELCOME TO THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK!
And there is no middle of the week without fine, flamin' hot, music.
Today we go to Australia... with Germany in our hearts (OMG, my Italian fellow citizens and my Indian friends will be shocked!)
Aaaaaand we press play on... Rattlesnake, the opening track of the 2017 "Flying MIcrotonal Banana" album from our beloved King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.
At first, a few words on this masterpiece album: it marks a turning point for King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard.
It’s their first full exploration of microtonal music, using custom-built instruments to move beyond the standard Western 12-note scale into quarter tones.
The result is a sound that feels both familiar and disorienting, blending psychedelic rock with Middle Eastern and krautrock influences. And that's why we keep Germany in our hearts!
Rattlesnake was deliberately written to be as simple and repetitive as possible.
You know... 'Rattlesnake, rattlesnake, rattlesnake, rattles me'.
Repetition is everywhere, from the melody, to the rythm section, to the lyrics.
Maybe you know this tune, but do you know that...
...during the making of Flying Microtonal Banana, Stu Mackenzie wanted to test how far a track could go with minimal structure, letting microtonal textures do the work.
The band started from a basic loop and kept layering sounds, while the lyrics were reduced to a mantra-like repetition of a single word.
The result was intentional: a hypnotic experiment in repetition that became one of their most iconic songs.
And of course, I strongly advice you to listen to THE WHOLE ALBUM.
See you soon, lads!