Short Reviews [Kali Trio - 2021 - "Loom"]

Kali Trio are described as a post-genre outfit, which I am sure means they don’t identify with any particular genre as such but instead cross through different areas with new ideas and ways of doing things, which by definition means they must be progressive, I guess. This is their second album, and features Nicolas Stocker (drums), Urs Muller (E-guitar) and Raphael Loher (piano), while the fourth member (space) has an integral part to play even though it is uncredited. When asked to describe their music, the band came up with: “It falls somewhere between T.C. Boyle’s prose and Tarkovsky’s dream-like image” which adds nothing to my understanding given I am unaware of either of those apart from what I read on Wikipedia. There are lots of strange signatures, repeated melodies and rhythms, and the result is something which is both alluring and relaxing and hard to listen to. Parts of it seem designed to assist in falling into a meditative state while others are far harsher and avant-garde. That all three are master musicians is never in doubt, and the production is incredibly clear and polished, but this really is not an album I have enjoyed listening to at all. I am sure there will be some who praise this for its forward thinking and refusal to conform, but as with some modern art, I just don’t understand it and consequently it is not something to which I believe I will ever return.