Sketches of Brunswick East
by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
  • Record Label: ATO
  • Release Date: Oct 13, 2017
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 32 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
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  1. ericcamargo
    Sep 29, 2020
    9
    I honestly believe this album to be HIGHLY underrated, and that's most likely because it's a bit different from what you would expect from a King Gizzard album - specially compared to the 4 other releases from the same year. And that makes sense, since it's a collaboration with Mild High Club.
    But anyway, it's mostly a Gizzard album on many aspects - lyrics, production, instrumentation,    I honestly believe this album to be HIGHLY underrated, and that's most likely because it's a bit different from what you would expect from a King Gizzard album - specially compared to the 4 other releases from the same year. And that makes sense, since it's a collaboration with Mild High Club.
    But anyway, it's mostly a Gizzard album on many aspects - lyrics, production, instrumentation, even compositions. And it is a f**** great one.

    A highly cohesive album, full with experimentation, nice jams, nice semi-toned guitars and synths, mellotrons, exotic scales, nice stand-alone tracks,
    but most of all: it is another great achievement from them into making a conceptual album that plays from start to end seamlessly.
    They are true masters of that. The recurrent melodic motifs, the transitions between songs, the emotional ups and downs throughout the whole thing... It is a "story" complete in itself. Maybe a softer one than in other albums (like, "Murder of the universe" or "Nonagon" lol), but a deep and complex one as well. It is, as the title suggests, a portrait of the street where their studio/office is situated, and maybe everything that goes around them there - in reality and in imagination.
    (Also, I believe the coice of the words may be a reference to "Sketches of Spain" from Miles Davis, which is a historical jazz album.)

    Sure it is a little more jazzy than other gizz albums, with more solos and instrumental passages, but also with WAY more field recordings (birds, dogs, passing trains, streams of water, horns, laughter...), for instance.
    Lot of production magic tricks and lots more fun and interesting stuff they start to mess with. It lead up to "Polygondwanaland" being released after it, which, for me, is their best album production and sound-wise.
    (Although I think flying microtonal is still no 1 for me - and it sounds pretty much like s**** lol).

    All in all, it is not (entirely) what you would expect from a gizz album. But at the same time it is (check tracks "D-Day", ""Cranes, Planes, Migraines", "The Book", "A Journey To (S)hell)....
    And they definitely pour as much of themselves in this one than in any other one.
    Think of it as being a Super Mario Sunshine version of the band, but it's still the same band, with the same incredible creativity and musical exploration.

    They manage to do an album with a jazz trace and still do it in their own way. They are still doing their thing. Thats mastery. If they do it like this, would love to hear a reggae, ambient, soul or any-other-genre album from them all the same.

    Wonderful record, with tons of things to discover with each new listen.
    F**** love this thing.    … Expand
  2. guitarmaniac004
    Dec 18, 2017
    8
    Very relaxing and entertaining album. Love 'Rolling Stoned' and 'The Spider and Me'. Always has me in a good mood. I'm glad this collab happened. Only criticism I could give is that there's a lot of filler... That's about it though... GOOD ALBUM!
  3. Music_Observer
    Dec 3, 2017
    8
    In their third album of the year and collaborating with jazz soloist Alex Brettin, KG&LW create a short, straightforward, and loveable experiment combining small melodic ideas with over-the-top drive and captivating funky sounds to find a wonderful dosage of musical freedom, albeit not being hugely impactful from their interesting tactics. My Score: 137/180 (Solid) = 7.6/10

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. Record Collector
    Nov 13, 2017
    80
    Sketches Of Brunswick East is the band’s mellowest outing since 2015’s Paper Mâché Dream Balloon.
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  2. Uncut
    Oct 25, 2017
    70
    Even at its most languid, this album retains a faintly manic, frazzled quality that prevents it from descending too far into retro pastiche. [Dec 2017, 9.28]
  3. AllMusic
    Oct 25, 2017
    80
    Working with the Australian wildmen gives Brettin's work an unpredictable nature not found on Mild High Club albums. This mutual benefaction means Sketches of Brunswick East is a collaboration that works wonders for both sides and will also make fans of both groups very happy.
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