We Speak Music
Sour Blood Delivers Masterful Debut Album ‘Suas’
Sour Blood, the brainchild of Tipperary-born artist Kevin Gleeson, offers a captivating exploration of musical landscapes with the release of their debut album, Suas. Known for his unique blend of theatre and music, Gleeson has crafted an album that seamlessly merges rich orchestration with deeply introspective themes, setting a high bar for his burgeoning project.
Suas is a symphonic journey, composed of eight tracks that ebb and flow with nocturnal balladry and sweeping orchestration. Gleeson’s talent for sound design shines through as he weaves together a tapestry of lush arrangements and haunting melodies. The album feels like a carefully curated voyage through waking dreams and reflective reveries, offering listeners a profound auditory experience.
The project, which began with a sold-out debut at the Dublin Dance Festival in 2019, has evolved significantly since then. Gleeson’s previous EP, Good Nevers, introduced his innovative sonic language, characterized by a fusion of varied influences and a penchant for stirring song structures. However, Suas marks a monumental leap in both artistic breadth and execution.
Written and recorded between Gothenburg and Dublin from 2022 to 2023, Suas benefits from the collaborative efforts of Brendan Jenkinson, known for his work with Villagers and Aoife Nessa Francis. The album’s production imbues it with a wintery warmth, creating a soundscape that is both pastoral and otherworldly. Gleeson’s vocal versatility is a standout feature, adding depth and emotion to each track.
Highlights of the album include the R&B-inflected “Mysterious Creature,” which combines forlorn lyrics with a boom-bap rhythm, and “Bruise,” a piano-driven ballad where Gleeson’s voice takes center stage. In tracks like “The Devil” and “Clot,” his vocals are cleverly manipulated, blending seamlessly with the instrumental layers to create a euphoric harmony. The closing track, “Overgrowing,” features delicate acoustic guitar and faint organ strains, offering a haunting and open-ended conclusion to the album.
Suas is a complex and beautiful exploration of sound, positioning Sour Blood as a noteworthy and gifted artist. The album not only showcases Gleeson’s meticulous artistry but also his ability to craft music that resonates on an emotional and intellectual level. It stands as a testament to his vision, blending introspective lyrics with grandiose compositions to create a work that is as thought-provoking as it is sonically pleasing.
In conclusion, Suas is a stunning debut that solidifies Sour Blood’s place in the contemporary music scene. Available on all major streaming platforms, this album is a must-listen for anyone looking to explore new musical territories.
This October, Hip-hop inna yardie style (old school fusion between reggae and hip-hop) collective L’Entourloop are set to rock UK stages, with shows in Liverpool, London & Bristol. Their Bristol date at The Trinity Center and their first London date at Village Underground are already SOLD OUT, leading to a second London date being added to deal with the high demand that L’Entourloop’s unforgettable shows create.
The dates will see L’entourloop hitting higher than ever as they perform tracks from their huge back catalogue, as well as their latest 20 track album “La clarté dans la confusion” (“Clarity in Confusion”).
Produced in their now legendary Bandulu Studio, the new album is a result of a patient production process, carried out with care and passion. Throughout the album, L’Entourloop testifies in its own way via a puzzle of film samples, of this strange period that we have just gone through collectively, using all its savoir faire when it comes to make the people dance.
Since 1964, when the song “My Boy Lollipop” flooded the European radio airwaves, L’Entourloop’s love for reggae and its culture has never stopped growing. With this third album, they wanted to pay tribute to the legendary pioneers of this incredible movement – artists and producers such as Tom Wong, Count Machuki, Prince Buster and Lee “Scratch” Perry. An album which is a true declaration of love for soundsystem culture and its children – reggae, dancehall and hip-hop.
The success of their previous albums “Chickens in Your Town” (2015) and “Le Savoir Faire” (2017), with their famous “Banging Hip-Hop Inna Yardie Style” quickly brought L’Entourloop into the spotlight, along with their hundreds of shows performed all over Europe. The mysterious collective continues to bring together an ever-growing audience around the world, as proved by their hundreds of millions of plays on music platforms.
True lovers of vinyl and old cinema, in their perpetual quest for the ultimate sample, the insatiable diggers kept their fans waiting by first dropping the excellent DJ-Mix “Start From Scratch” in the summer of 2021, followed by a series of 3 official remixes, including the Reunion Island anthem “Li Sem”.
Another striking characteristic of L’Entourloop is the great ability of King James and Sir Johnny to gather incredible guests from around the world. Whether with Skarra Mucci and their now classic “Dreader Than Dread” or their excellent EP “Golden Nuggets” (2019), Capleton for the extravagant remix of “Burn Dem Down”, producer Panda Dub they collaborated with on “Le Bonheur” or French singer Biga Ranx for their hit “Push The Limits”, L’Entourloop has the gift of giving birth to collaborations that mark the spirits.
With no less than 32 guests from all over the world, MCs fling lyrics like guns like in a western movie and the new album is no exception!
On the reggae side, Jamaican legends such as Ken Boothe and Bounty Killer meet new generation stars such as Alborosie, Kabaka Pyramid, Queen Omega and Marcus Gad. On the hip-hop side Chali 2Na from legendary US group Jurassic 5, Swedish MC Promoe from Looptroop Rockers, US rapper Rêverie, the excellent JuJu Rogers, French beatmaker Degiheugi and the irresistible South African female rapper Dope St Jude all make appearances.
The UK vibe can also be felt with features from jungle and dancehall pioneers General Levy and Tippa Irie as well as heavyweights of the grime scene Flowdan, Lady Chann and Killa P. Fellow French artists are also in the spotlight with guests such as Big Red, O.B.F and Manudigital. To complete this amazing cast, L’Entourloop has once again called on the incomparable Troy Berkley from Bermuda and the talented trumpeter N’Zeng, formerly of Le Peuple de l’Herbe, to accompany the collective on the road alongwith a new addition – excellent Dutch rapper BlabberMouf, who has just joined the killer new live show.
L’Entourloop UK Tour 2024
05/10/2024- Liverpool (UK)- Hangar 34
06/10/2024- London (UK)- Village Underground – SOLD OUT
07/10/2024- London (UK)- Village Underground
08/10/2024- Bristol (UK)- Trinity Center- SOLD OUT
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