ambient / post rock
Another one of those inspiring gems from Sound In Silence and another album that deals in coincidences. Just last night, a friend and I were talking about Neil Young's Dead Man soundtrack. The wailing guitars floating over vast landscapes of cheering hot nothingness. Now, this album by Helsinki based duo The Gentleman Losers also deliver this atmosphere, at least during the opening track of this remarkable album, 'Shelter From The Rain'. From then on, these two Fins take their listeners on a unique and adventurous journey, one that explores the regions of ambient, post rock, shoegaze and whatever it is that Ennio Morricone does.
Title track 'Make We Here Our Camp Of Winter' combines guitars with piano, vague percussion and ambient soundscapes. Acts like A Winged Victory For The Sullen and Helios come to mind. 'Book Of Leaves' carefully flirts with the calm side of post rock while 'Always Crashing On The Same Wave' drives on sluggish percussion and jazzy piano play. Yes, I know, that's quite varied for an album that mostly wanders through the world of ambient. This certainly is not one of those albums that make classification easy, but in most case that is a good thing.
Now, I did mention a bunch of names and I can probably add a lot more, from Brian Eno to Sigur Ros. However, even with all these influences and references, The Gentleman Losers have their own unique sound, a certain extra flavor if you will. The mentioned acts mostly have a clean, smooth texture, making it listener friendly. The tunes on this album have something darker, grittier and rougher. 'Fish Roam In Winter Water' is such a weird and even somewhat unsettling piece of music, one that gnaws on your consciousness.
In all, this is an excellent album, one that invites the listener to explore. Not just once but multiple times. 'Turning To God' is sheer beauty, and most of the other tracks have a unique quality. So I guess it's safe to say that this gem belongs in your ever expanding Sound In Silence collection. I think we can now convincingly use the term "quality label". So check it out. It's something else, something mesmerizing, something that will definitely evoke emotions.
Serge
Title track 'Make We Here Our Camp Of Winter' combines guitars with piano, vague percussion and ambient soundscapes. Acts like A Winged Victory For The Sullen and Helios come to mind. 'Book Of Leaves' carefully flirts with the calm side of post rock while 'Always Crashing On The Same Wave' drives on sluggish percussion and jazzy piano play. Yes, I know, that's quite varied for an album that mostly wanders through the world of ambient. This certainly is not one of those albums that make classification easy, but in most case that is a good thing.
Now, I did mention a bunch of names and I can probably add a lot more, from Brian Eno to Sigur Ros. However, even with all these influences and references, The Gentleman Losers have their own unique sound, a certain extra flavor if you will. The mentioned acts mostly have a clean, smooth texture, making it listener friendly. The tunes on this album have something darker, grittier and rougher. 'Fish Roam In Winter Water' is such a weird and even somewhat unsettling piece of music, one that gnaws on your consciousness.
In all, this is an excellent album, one that invites the listener to explore. Not just once but multiple times. 'Turning To God' is sheer beauty, and most of the other tracks have a unique quality. So I guess it's safe to say that this gem belongs in your ever expanding Sound In Silence collection. I think we can now convincingly use the term "quality label". So check it out. It's something else, something mesmerizing, something that will definitely evoke emotions.
Serge
