Nonagon Infinity

Nonagon Infinity is the eighth studio album by Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. It was released on 29 April 2016 on ATO Records.[1] The album is designed to play as an "infinite loop" where each song segues into the next, so that "the record can be played front-to-back-to-front-to-back and the sound won’t break."[3] The title is a reference to this idea, as there are nine songs on the album that could be played "infinitely."

Nonagon Infinity
Studio album by
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
Released29 April 2016 (2016-04-29)
StudioDaptone Studios in Brooklyn, New York[1][2]
Genre
Length41:45
Label
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard chronology
Paper Mâché Dream Balloon
(2015)		 Nonagon Infinity
(2016)		 Flying Microtonal Banana
(2017)
Singles from Nonagon Infinity
  1. "Gamma Knife"
    Released: 8 March 2016
  2. "People-Vultures"
    Released: 4 April 2016
  3. "Mr. Beat"
    Released: 11 April 2016

The album "controversially" won Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal album at the ARIA Music Awards of 2016, with some accusing the ARIA of miscategorizing Nonagon Infinity.[4]

Various aspects of the album are featured on later albums. The opening track, "Robot Stop", briefly features use of microtonal tuning, a technique explored further on the band's follow-up, Flying Microtonal Banana. The title is also referenced in the lyrics of "The Lord of Lightning" off their 2017 album, Murder of the Universe.

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.8/10[5]
Metacritic83/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Drowned in Sound9/10[8]
Exclaim!8/10[9]
The Guardian[10]
Mojo[11]
NME4/5[12]
Pitchfork8.0/10[13]
Q[14]
Record Collector[15]
Uncut8/10[16]

Upon its release, Nonagon Infinity received acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 83, based on 14 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[6]

Writing for AllMusic, Tim Sendra claimed that the band's inventive sound made Nonagon Infinity "not only their best album yet, but maybe the best psych-metal-jazz-prog album ever".[7] He also called the album an "amazing prog-psych epic."[17]

Director Edgar Wright has since cited the album as one of his favorite albums of all time, stating that "you could be forgiven for thinking you were hearing one long extended track, but my God does it rock."[18]

Matthew Coakley of The Triangle called it a "mediocre" album and, musically, "a gritty, heavy, lo-fi garage rock aesthetic and created a 'never-ending loop' of an album where all the songs flow directly into one another."[19]

Jamie McNamara of BeatRoute magazine called it "a rollicking, garage-rock epic."[20]

In 2019, Nonagon Infinity ranked 2nd on Happy Mag's list of "The 25 best psychedelic rock albums of the 2010s".[21]

Track listing

Vinyl releases have tracks 1–4 on side A, and tracks 5–9 on side B.[22]

All tracks are written by Stu Mackenzie.

No.TitleLength
1."Robot Stop"5:22
2."Big Fig Wasp"4:54
3."Gamma Knife"4:21
4."People-Vultures"4:45
5."Mr. Beat"4:56
6."Evil Death Roll"7:14
7."Invisible Face"3:01
8."Wah Wah"2:54
9."Road Train"4:18
Total length:41:45

Personnel

Credits for Nonagon Infinity adapted from liner notes.[23]

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

Production

  • Wayne Gordon – recording
  • Paul Maybury – recording (tracks 2, 4, 7)
  • Michael Badger – vocal recording, mixing
  • Stu Mackenzie – additional vocal recording, additional mixing
  • Joe Carra – mastering
  • Jason Galea – artwork
  • Danny Cohen – photography

Charts
Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[24] 19
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[25] 152
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[26] 92
US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[27] 4
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[28] 14
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[29] 16
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[30] 23
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[31] 15

References
  1. Katzif, Mike (21 April 2016). "Review: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, 'Nonagon Infinity'". NPR. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  2. Breihan, Tom (21 April 2016). "Stream King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Nonagon Infinity". Stereogum. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  3. Shane Barnes (29 April 2016). "King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: So Post-Music Not Even the Lead Singer Can Describe It".
  4. Moskovitch, Greg (25 November 2016). "Aussie Heavy Bands Are Slamming King Gizzard's ARIA Win". Tone Deaf. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  5. "Nonagon Infinity by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  6. "Reviews for Nonagon Infinity by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard". Metacritic. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  7. Sendra, Tim. "Nonagon Infinity – King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  8. Gourlay, Dom (29 April 2016). "Album Review: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Nonagon Infinity". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  9. Schulz, Cosette (27 April 2016). "King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Nonagon Infinity". Exclaim!. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  10. Gibsone, Harriet (21 April 2016). "King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: Nonagon Infinity review – Aussie psych-rockers return with urgency". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  11. Myers, Ben (June 2016). "King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard: Nonagon Infinity". Mojo (271): 96.
  12. Bartleet, Larry (4 May 2016). "King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – 'Nonagon Infinity' Review". NME. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  13. Berman, Stuart (4 May 2016). "King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Nonagon Infinity". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  14. Perry, Andrew (June 2016). "King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: Nonagon Infinity". Q (359): 113.
  15. Moores, JR (June 2016). "King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Nonagon Infinity". Record Collector (454). Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  16. Pinnock, Tom (June 2016). "King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: Nonagon Infinity". Uncut (229): 77.
  17. Sendra, Tim. "Flying Microtonal Banana - King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 May 2019. and the amazing prog-psych epic Nonagon Infinity was touted as the world's first continuously looping album.
  18. "The Quietus – The Fabulous, Most Groovy: Director Edgar Wright's Favourite Albums". The Quietus. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  19. Coakley, Matthew (3 March 2017). "King Gizzard experiments with exotic music techniques". The Triangle. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  20. McNamara, Jamie (28 June 2017). "King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Murder of the Universe". BeatRoute. Retrieved 19 May 2019. Still, after a career of left-turns and over-the-top album concepts like 2016’s Nonagon Infinity, a rollicking, garage-rock epic designed as an infinite loop,
  21. "The 25 best psychedelic rock albums of the 2010s". Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  22. Nonagon Infinity at Discogs (list of releases)
  23. Track listing and credits as per liner notes for Nonagon Infinity album
  24. "Australiancharts.com – King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Nonagon Infinity". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  25. "Ultratop.be – King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Nonagon Infinity" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  26. "Ultratop.be – King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Nonagon Infinity" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  27. "King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Chart history – Top Heatseekers". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  28. "King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Chart history – Top Alternative". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  29. "King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Chart history – Independent". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  30. "King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Chart history – Top Rock". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  31. "King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Chart history – Top Tastemaker". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
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