Under the Scope: The Gentlemen Losers
Members
Samu Kuukka
Ville Kuukka
Playing together since their teens, the brother duo of Ville and Samu Kuukka hail from the beautiful landscapes of Finland. The name of their homeland evokes images of lush green hills, where the sky and the ground are blurred by constant hanging fog. Or maybe a picture of a small town with an aging church steeple reaching out into the icy blue Nordic sky. Or better yet, endless rows of untouched pine rise ominously over head. Any and all of these are pictures that the Kuukka brothers effectively paint with their brand of deeply beautiful music.
Recorded by the brothers in a reportedly haunted house in the medieval quarter of Turku's, the duo's hometown, the album takes on all the energy of the nights it was recorded. 'Haunted soundscapes' is the only way to describe their slow moving melodies of reflection and cinematic scope. Capturing that whole 'old-movie-soundtrack' vibe that Friends of Dean Martinez do, albeit in a completely different form, The Gentlemen Losers have stripped their songs to the bare essentials, leaving the listen fully engrossed and ultimately satisfied.
Described by the band themselves as "one part '60's movie soundtrack, one part wooden electronica, all recorded through a '50's Telefunken mixer we found abandoned in a basement… we wanted to make music from a past that hasn't happened yet…", the brothers pretty much say it all. Armed with a devastating sense of melody and negative space, the Kuukka brothers are yet another hidden gem from the most overlooked of the Scandinavian countries.
With just one release under their belt it's hard to say where The Gentlemen Losers will end up in the big scheme of things. But if this self-titled album is any indication of their creativity and songwriting abilities, I'm looking forward to hearing from these two for a long time to come.
Discography:
The Gentlemen Losers - The Gentlemen Losers (Buro - a division of City Centre Offices)
The Gentlemen Losers - Mansion On The Dunes - MP3
- Jake Haselman | 2006-07-12
