This is Video of the Week from Wales Arts Review. We’ll be showcasing some of the best art in Wales with a new video shared every week. From music to drama and everything in between, videos will not be limited by medium. Today’s video is ‘Eus Keus?’ by Gwenno.
We’re in the ninth week of our 100 Greatest Welsh Albums of All Time series with music released this year to music released decades ago, this week takes in everything from indie-pop, psych-folk and dance electro to chamber pop, techno and hip-hop. For today’s video of the week, we’re taking a look at ‘Eus Keus?’ by Gwenno.
As part of this week’s countdown, Caragh Medlicott wrote of Gwenno’s album, Le Kov:
“Music has always impacted us humans – and cool music, especially, has the power to inspire everything from peculiar dress sense to impassioned cult-like followings. In the case of Gwenno’s euphoric, critically acclaimed hit Le Kov, the record would go on to be credited by Cornwall’s Language Board for a record uptake of the Cornish language exam in 2018. That is to say, this is not your everyday record – and the ethereal, twinkling, swirls of its soundscape are certainly compelling enough to make you wish to submerge yourself in its world more completely. For most listeners of Le Kov – a name which translates to ‘A Place of Memory’ in English – it is the deliciously folkloric sound of psychedelic beats and intricate drumming patterns which draws one into this record’s luminescent world. For English speakers, the soft cadences of Gwenno’s Cornish lyrics might predominantly serve to heighten the sense of transcendental magic, but on inspection – and translation – there is here a rich and beautiful catalogue of lyrics which contemplate everything from a post-Brexit Cornwall to a love story with a computer. Best of all, of course, is the addictive fourth track ‘Eus Keus?’; between its refracting chorus of diaphanous colour and light and its commanding spoken-word verse, is a question of ever relatable and crucial importance: “Is there cheese?””
Watch the video for ‘Eus Keus?’ below, and take a look at albums 20 – 11 of our 100 Greatest Welsh Albums of All Time countdown here.
Le Kov from Gwenno is streaming on Spotify now.
