Nottingham Noise – a recent round up of works by Blackcloudsummoner and Itching.
https://blackcloudsummoner.bandcamp.com/music
https://territorialgobbing.bandcamp.com/merch
Itching
is from the same creator (Henry Davies) as the Nacht Und Nebel project and Blackcloudsummoner
like Itching is a Nottingham, UK based project. There have been 17
Blackcloudsummoner releases (including splits) and four Itching releases and
two compilation appearances. Both have played many live shows around the UK in
recent years. All releases in this review are available in physical and digital
from the links above.
Itching
– Itching – Cassette/Download – Self Released – 2020.
As
Nacht und Nebel came to an end, Henry started the project Itching. After a couple
of compilation appearances, he has recently released Itching’s first six track cassette.
It was common for Nacht und Nebel to frequently self-release cassettes as well
as working with many other labels, Itching continues the self-releasing tradition.
The
album begins with lone cat purrs as all the sounds are constructed from field recordings
of different cats purring. This is immediately intensified through the sound treatment
of the purrs and multiplication of different purrs on top of one another.
As the sounds echo and resonate,
they create a powerful mass which at times is cut into with other purrs or
distorted to alter the core sound, allowing it to shift far from its original
sound identity and become a variety of pulsating noises. At first the notion of
Purrs may sound strange, but Nacht und Nebel was created from treated Cello
sounds and experimental is as experimental does. This is the same methods used to
continue making strong distinctive noise which is unique and very well thought
out. This is pushed and used to full effect to create a wide range of varying sound
pieces held together by the frequent fall back to pure purr.
I
am also impressed by the noise pyrotechnics demonstrated as they rise and fall
back down to a recognisable purr before warping off somewhere else. This is a
strong, impressive debut release.
Itching
& Blackcloudsummoner – CDR/Download – Self Released – 2020.
Itching
(as Nacht und Nebel) and Blackcloudsummoner have played live together and
toured the UK with Luxury Mollusc in recent years. They have also collaborated on
several split releases in the past. This is the first collaboration with Henry performing
as Itching. There are two twenty-minute tracks on this release they are ‘Hunks
of Spoiling Flesh on Disintegrating Bones’ and ‘Setting the Body to ‘NO’’.
The
sound of this release compared to the Itching tape is darker. It echoes a lot
as the sounds build and multiply up from lone purrs. Feedback begins to cut
into it as the storm is in full flight. The titles are negative, as are the
sounds – both combined build this feeling perfectly. At times, the sound really
erupts and crackles as if falling apart or in pain, even the warm rumble of
Itching’s sound sources at times blasts like a roaring pit as the volume and
distortion rise.
Small
details become apparent whenever the sound eases off, tiny clicks and chipping
sounds. The happiness of the purr comes through the darkness of the noise– all
these details give it other aspects of sounds and moods. making the quieter
parts of the album as important as the heavier passages, they also lighten the moods
that have built up across the split. In contrast to this, play it on a lower
volume and it churns a lot more darkness at you - strange that.
I
like this album, both artists combine to form a perfect whole. Each of them has
a strong track record that continues here to make for an exceptionally good
album. Looking back this is one of my top 2020 releases but can’t say that
officially as I only got it last week in April 2021.
Blackcloudsummoner
– Ugly Inside – Cassette/Download – Self Released – 2020.
Ugly
Inside is the 15th Blackcloudsummoner release, there has been a
steady flow of releases on Tape and CDR since 2017. Blackcloudsummoner has been
reviewed several times on this blog over recent years.
The
album starts with a track called Rusty cage; I am keen to point this track out
as it sees the quirky charm of the project shining through. The organ like
loops throb whilst sounding mournful, creating a distorted, hybrid funeral soundtrack.
This plays out on a bed of distortion as sounds go off in the background as if
a child’s keyboard is being used as a jam instrument. This feels like early
noise/PE through its’ raw production whilst being cut into through the playfulness
of the keyboard sounds.
The
sound seems to melt for Faceless Ghost and starts to scrape, splutter and
screech. Despite this, the sound refuses to die, despite this there are
glimpses of beauty that shine through via quirkiness of the noise that makes
this project unique. What’s established here is a negative blast that is the
sound of death and that carries through into Music Like Escaping Blood which starts
as a background conversation of sounds that suddenly erupts. This too has epic
rises of noise punctuated by beautiful oddness.
A
display of Death Synth resonance forms Ugly Inside, this echoes and marvels at
itself until punctuated by screeches and clangs of metal. The mix to this
really restrains it, so it radiates a distanced ambience and more beauty flows
through because of this.
This
is an outstanding release.
Wet
Mirror – CDR/Download – Self Released – 2021.
https://archive.leftove.rs/documents/grid/title/nepa_news
Wet
Mirror is a new project that is a collaboration between Andrew from
Blackcloudsummoner and Territorial Gobbing from Leeds. I will confess I have
not heard Territorial Gobbing before.
Of
the four releases this one along with Itching really stands out on it’s own. The
sound sources Territorial Gobbing uses are equally unique:
Recordings
of water and cycling through mud manipulated on reel-to-reel and Dictaphones,
guitar, vocals, floor tom, objects (on floor tom or otherwise), synth and live manipulations
of a Capitol Hill riot livestream.
The
cover is from a collage made from illustrations in a 1970s prison newspaper called
Nepa News, this was a short-lived prison newspaper that had articles written by
prisoners. It discussed the conditions they were kept in; their treatment in prison,
their rights and it ran for 18 issues from 1973 – 1975. There is a link to pdfs
of each issue above, it makes for impressive reading of prison conditions of
the times. This is coupled with interior art by Blackcloudsummoner, I can’t ask
for more. Blackcloudsummoner does a zine called Baked Arcana that is well
worthy of inspection.
The
sounds on this recording are as you can imagine, interesting. A lot of it is
done quietly, so sounds communicate with space and depth created by the quiet. At
times it is like Small Cruel Party and Spoils and Relics nasty, distant cousin,
at other times it radiates beauty. Like all of the releases in this review, it
is its own thing. Even the noisier pieces go off on their own tangent.
This
warped lockdown recording is very ‘out there’, an obscure gem.
Army
of One 2021.
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