Words by Rattle, artwork edit by Billabong Valley Bootleg

When the King Gizzard bug fully infected me in 2021, it sank its little green mandibles in good and deep. I was soon buying every Gizz-related vinyl release that I could get my mitts on, and before I even had all of the core studio albums in my collection, I began to explore the side projects. Enter Pipe-eye, the brainchild of King Gizzard guitarist, keyboardist, and sometime-vocalist Cook Craig, author of fan-favorites like "The Garden Goblin" and "Down the Sink." (Cookie or Cookie Dawg, as he's affectionately known, is also the bassist for the Murlocs). One of the first side projects I heard was Pipe-eye's Dream Themes, an album that immediately caught my ear with its relentlessly melodic grooves and textured layers of instrumentation. I was delighted to discover that it was the fourth Pipe-eye release since 2015. After ordering Dream Themes, Cosmic Blip, Laugh About Life, and Inside/Outside from Flightless Records and having them shipped to me on the opposite side of the planet, there was a brief spell of three or four months when I probably listened to more Pipe-eye than King Gizzard!

Fast forward five years and one Pipe-eye release (Pipe-defy) later, and I've set myself what has turned out to be a maddening task: choosing five favorite Pipe-eye tracks. "Comparison is the thief of joy" goes the old saying, but when every single track brings me joy, is there really a problem? In the interest of fairness, I'll be choosing one track from each of the five extant Pipe-eye releases, proceeding from oldest to most recent. This edition of Nice V is not intended as any sort of definitive ranking, but rather as an homage to Big Cookie and his quirky and captivating alter ego. I hope it encourages the curious reader to dig deeper into the world of Pipe-eye (if you haven't already).

"Tick Tock"

A year before the similarly-named insidious social media app appeared, Cookie had a tick-tock living inside his head. The third song proper on 2015's Cosmic Blip (I say "proper" because there are ambient interludes, each a "Cosmic Blip," threaded between the songs on the EP), "Tick Tock" is an upbeat and irresistible pop construction that dodges the saccharine by way of its off-kilter harmonics and low-fi production. Just listen to that wonky keyboard solo! This was one of the first Pipe-eye tracks to live in my head, thanks in large part to the joyful beat but also the inspirational and motivational lyrics prodding me to seize the day despite the built-in anxieties of this temporal/spatial hellscape we collectively refer to as reality. It's antidote enough to press go on this track and nod your head and tap your feet. As far as we know, Cook plays every instrument heard on Cosmic Blip and the album's sound sets a baseline that he would evolve from going forward, the music becoming more polished and intricate with each release, yet never losing the personal DIY feel that makes the Pipe-eye project so attractive overall. (If anyone is in need of further relief from the aforementioned hellscape, check out side B of the 2021 12" rerelease of Cosmic Blip. It's one long, soothing "Blip" and a great track to unwind with.)

"Walk the Dog"

Cook was a busy pup in 2017. In addition to his appearances on King Gizzard's flurry of album releases (five total), listeners were also treated to fresh studio work from the Murlocs (the raucous Old Locomotive) and a new Pipe-eye album, the whimsically titled Laugh About Life. I adore this album, but the one track that has always risen above the pack for me is "Walk the Dog." The verses have a breezy-yet-weird vibe that conjures trippy blue skies and puffy white clouds, while the chorus bursts in with some contrasting staccato rhythms that feel stately by comparison. The lyrics aren't the deepest in the Pipe-eye catalog (the suggestion of "let's walk the dog" followed by the more demanding "can we walk the dog today?") but I'm all-in for the music: seasick synths, krautrock drums, and Cook's multi-tracked vocals. Along with more prominent bass guitar and new layers of instruments (my ear detects sitar and tambourine on "Walk the Dog"), these features define the whole album and set it apart from the more primitive (but no less endearing) Cosmic Blip. Of note is the presence of Cavs, who plays drums on some tracks, and Stu, who lends a hand with recording and mixing. The album (and "Walk the Dog") also features drummer Montgomery Hartnett, who contributed to the pre-Gizzard project Revolver & Sun (among other Gizz-adjacent efforts) as well as a couple of tracks on King Gizzard's Oddments. Interestingly, Laugh About Life builds on the idea of instrumental interludes found on Cosmic Blip, this time titling them as "Acts" and placing them between groupings of songs. These instrumental fragments aren't long enough to warrant being singled out here, but they feature some of my favorite Pipe-eye moments. Don't miss them!

"1866"

Now comes the hard part. Inside/Outside is arguably the first full Pipe-eye album (Cosmic Blip and Laugh About Life both being EPs to my mind) and a fantastic one at that, making this choice very (VERY) difficult. While "Best Friend," "Inside/Outside," "Fluorescent Wonder," and "Tequila Highball" all vie for my attention, I return most frequently to the intricate layers of "1866." Starting with just bass and hi-hat, this instrumental track quickly evolves into a jammy conversation between guitar and a multi-tracked armada of synthesizers—some rhythmic, some melodic, some abstract. Just when everything builds to a nearly overwhelming peak, Cookie strips it all back to the bass, only for the layers to rebuild anew. Hypnotic, psychedelic, transcendent, all of the above, "1866" is the most ornate Pipe-eye track from this album, which itself is more progressive and complex when compared to its predecessors. One thing that really stands out overall from Inside/Outside is Cookie's guitar playing, which is more front-and-center than on the previous two releases. (We will delightfully see this trend continue on Dream Themes). Cavs again contributes his consummate drumming skills (recorded by Joey) and Stu is credited with mixing the entire album. Also of note is the memorable cover art (by none other than Cookie) that hints at more than a few of the song's subjects and titles, and depicts The Garden Goblin himself, Homer.

?

If picking a track from Inside/Outside was difficult, then isolating just one from Dream Themes feels impossible. This is such a good great album—damn near perfect, I'm tempted to say. If you haven't heard it, I actually want you to stop reading. Yes, close your browser and go sit with this incredible musical feast (headphones recommended) and give it your undivided attention. (KGLW.net will still be here when you get back, promise.) Make up your own mind about your favorite track (good luck!) and then we can have a passionate but polite debate here. If you have already experienced Dream Themes, then maybe you can relate to the following predicament. I've spent the last week playing this album daily and every time I think I've narrowed my pick down to one track, I disagree with myself. Playing side A, I hear "Martina Catarina" and think, yep, that's the one. (Those whammied-to-hell guitars!) But then "World of Travel" comes on and I realize I might like it even better. (Those super fuzzed-out guitars!) Then I realize that all of side B awaits me. By the end of this paragraph maybe I'll have it figured out. Taken as a whole, Dream Themes represents a huge leap forward for Pipe-eye. Even more instruments are present (such as marimba and vibraphone), and guitar is even more prominent. While the first three albums fall more into the zolo/synthpop pocket, Dream Themes (especially tracks like "World of Travel," "Ancient 5G Aliens," and "Action News With Ray Mar") leans much closer to out-and-out rock. This is emphasized by the overall lack of vocals (the album-opening tune "Chakra" being the sole exception, and even that is just a chant of the word "chakra" over and over). Cook once more plays everything but drums (hello again, Cavs!), proving that his mastery of the studio has continued to evolve. To my ear, the track that really displays this multi-track majesty in full flight is "Oakhill Avenue," a jazzy number with chill vibes and wiggly synths that would be right at home on Sketches of Brunswick East. So that's my pick... for today.

Travertine

Who's ready for some funk? 2024 saw the release of Pipe-defy, Cookie's most danceable effort to date. With Cavs once more on drums and even more synth sounds stocked in the Pipe-eye keyboard arsenal (those orchestra hits!), Pipe-defy distills all of the releases that come before it and heads off in search of new territory. It was once again an aggravating decision (so many good tracks here), but the highlight for me is "Travertine," a chugging slice of groove that builds to a glorious bridge and a soaring faux sax solo (played on keyboard). You can almost imagine hearing this one on the radio, although some subtle yet still trippy delay effects appear in the last verse, keeping us firmly in the weird zone. The lyrics use travertine, a porous form of limestone found near mineral springs, as a metaphor for creating enduring bonds within personal relationships. This fits right in with the lyrical content of the rest of the album, which is more autobiographical and nuanced than any other Pipe-eye release (so far). The songs explore themes of romantic connection ("We're In This Together"), homecoming ("I'm Coming Back"), and even the challenges of shifting friendship dynamics ("Don't Fade Away"). Regardless of whether the lyrics get deep or not, each track on Pipe-defy has a bouncy, fresh feel that is guaranteed to put a funky pop in your step when you need it.

Thanks for hanging out and reading my thoughts on Pipe-eye. We'll be back again next month for another Nice V.