THE GENTLMEN LOSERS: DUSTLAND

On the very opposite end of the scale but along the same mentality is “Dustland” by The Gentleman Losers. I say that Anaal Nathrakh and The Gentlemen Losers are kindred spirits because both push the boundaries of their genre to create something truly magnificent. While Anaal Nathrakh has created the soundtrack to madness The Gentlemen Losers have created one for sadness, melancholy and depression. At first listen “Dustland” is simply a slow and pretty record made up of various electronic influences. It’s only when you allow yourself to feel what’s happening in this record do you understand where it can take you emotionally.

The Gentlemen Losers use loops, samples, guitars and keyboards not to make you dance but to make you sit, relax, and focus on the world around you. So much of today is constant movement, the fear that if we stop moving we’ll die or at the very least fade into the background. Dustland is a reminder of how gorgeous every second of life is and that taking the time to stop and just let the world happen can be extraordinary.

It would be impossible for me to start breaking down which track outshines the other because they work in unison towards a common goal. At best I could give you an estimation of what each song felt like e.g. “Bonetown Boys” feels like sadness, “Lullaby Of Dustland” feels like heartbreak, etc. The problem with doing that is I’m telling you my emotional reactions and insights to the album when in fact Dustland is all about you making that discovery for yourself.

That’s what makes The Gentlemen Losers so different and yet very much akin to Anaal Nathrakh’s ideals. Both create an ocean or a universe that surrounds you and holds you. Within that Universe or Ocean so much goes on that you have to find for yourself. While Anaal’s ocean is one of brutality, The Gentlemen Losers prefer quiet introspection. There’s even a song on Dustland that reminds you to take time out from actually listening to Dustland. The track, the 90-second “Oblivion’s Tide” is just silence and then the quiet sounds of music way in the background. It allows you to digest what you’ve heard and prepare for what’s next.

The Gentlemen Losers are also genius at layering many sounds without becoming overbearing. In so much Electronica, even mellow sounds like these, the band crams too much in and you can’t absorb it all. Dustland avoids this by not only layering in sound but also negative space and silence. The Gentlemen Losers do as much with what isn’t there as with what is.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the song “Farandole” which sounds like a bizarre homage to the soundtrack work of director John Carpenter. Once again that’s what I bring to the table with Dustland, which is the entire point. The Gentlemen Losers have created an album filled with depth, emotion, and wonderful musicianship. They’ve also managed to do it without forcing their expectations on you. Imagine creating a wonderful piece of music from your soul that is also universal enough to elicit different emotional responses from different people. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

Very often music is bad, sometimes it can be good and every so often it will be truly great. From that come the few and far between instances where music elevates itself to art by defying itself and subverting genre while also redefining it. The Gentlemen Losers and their wonderful “Dustland” have done just that.