The Hafler Trio — Idiots: Laughing Matter

Adding to its already extensive discography, The Hafler Trio (now just solo) enlisted the help of Wire's Bruce Gilbert for their latest, Idiots. Grim and far reaching, this 2XLP moves at its own pace and draws the listener in with its slow, dark amble. Channeling both the natural and industrial worlds, Idiots hits many chords during its runtime, although probably not many actual chords. Laughing matter, indeed!.

 

Built around four long-form tracks, Idiots is an experiment in sound, tones, textures, and tenacity. The latter is not only required of the listener, but also of the Trio itself. Having been active for roughly forty years, Andrew McKenzie continues to grow and evolve, and his tenacity and dedication to his craft pays off very well with Idiots. From the first, dark, sprawling untitled track to the final, interesting amalgamation of sound on the fourth track (also untitled), Idiots challenges the listener to endure an impressive amount of sound and experimentation. Mixing quiet moments with jarring, loud, paroxysms of sound, at times, the album feels more like an experiment on the listener. Maybe Dr. Edward Moolenbeek has rejoined the group to fill his lustful needs for science. The beauty of Idiots is in its ability to mix the familiar with the unknown; tried and true genre sounds and textures shift from traditional layouts into woven layers of interesting arrangements, creating new and intriguing textures. In addition to these slower, more free-form sonic unfoldings, abrasive tones and harsh reminders come to the fore in startling ways, giving the listener pause to reflect on what the piece actually is, as well as give the good Dr. time to take some notes on their reaction.

 

For its sprawling length and intriguing composition, there aren't too many words one can use to describe Idiots. Some albums are better experienced then read about, and those often come off as very subjective. What sticks out to Listener A may not make a mark on Listener B. And while that really goes for any listening experience, some take this more to heart, and certainly Idiots is on that list. Part of this experience would be the act of flipping the record after each 20+ minute piece, and not only the reflection on what was just played, but the anticipation, and possibly trepidation, of what is to come when the needle hits next