Blackcloudsummoner, Wet Mirror and Itching.

Nottingham Noise – a recent round up of works by Blackcloudsummoner and Itching.

https://blackcloudsummoner.bandcamp.com/music

https://itching.bandcamp.com/

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 15^th 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.

Luxury Mollusc and Itching split.

Luxury Mollusc / Itching – Split – Cassette/Download – 2020.

https://itching.bandcamp.com/album/split-with-luxury-mollusc

https://luxuriousmollusc.bandcamp.com/album/split-with-itching

I confess to being a new listener to Dublin’s Luxury Mollusc, (active since 2006) only hearing bits on splits with other artists. Deep feedback terrorises my headset until clangs punctuate the drones, this is Intersecting Erection. Infected feedback begins to pierce the deep drones as it distorts seeming like bright sparks of light coming off a grinder. I did not expect it to be this assaultive, this is an interesting Harsh Noise display. There is a rich communication going on between the sounds, with a few elements at a time make more with less. The work eventually delves in creeped out, sophisticated atmospherics.

Deep bass heavy pulsations form Interstitial Bodice, sharper, explosive noises seem to go off over this, as if at war creating an unbearable tension within the work. This gets more taught as it progresses.  As the sharp noises die off for a time, the tension remains in the deep drones, it feels as if the artist is showing off by maintain the works intensity whilst stripping its’ elements down to the core. As the sounds rebuild, the sound is punishing as the sharper noise works like an electrically charged whip. I feel I as if I am floating in space while somebody takes an angle grinder to my head, this is relentless punishing noise.

Raging Harsh Noise cuts to drone and back again as Internment Glands begins to take shapes. This seems to out do the two previous tracks in terms of the ferocity of its attack, it keeps pulling back only to explode again in time. As the sound begins to fill out, water like sounds begin to cleanse it as holy chanting can be heard within the mass of noise. This truly is something else.

Itching was Nacht un Nebel, instead of Cello, Cat purrs are the sound source for Itching. This is also truly something else as Golden Hour begins, what sound like nice cat purrs intensify and go into Cat Stellar Overdrive and build into insane passages of sound that seem to explode into Harshness. This is warps sound to new further regions than Nacht did and I conceptually translate it as an amplified Cat Worship, an empowerment of the cat. This reaches a warped psychedelic harshness that I was not expecting.

Intense purring starts Buried off, this soon warps, distorts, and again goes into overdrive. What I thought would be a calmer project than Nacht und Nebel is using something else to create a harsher sound, the levels of warped are so screwy there’s something crazed about the work, which I like. Lovely purring again introduces Sliced until it goes off on further experimental tangents with the sound pushing at its’ limits furthering the range as much as it physically can.

Triplicate starts as the sweetest purr, less treated than the others, but accelerates to hyperdrive in no time. This also goes very Harsh; the purr becomes assaultive and choppy as if being hit by a helicopter blade repeatedly for fun. By saying this, I am not saying that is all the track is because as the intensity subsides it moves elsewhere to pleasant atmospheres - a kind of clicking trip. Visible concentrates on deepening the purr source before the distortion of it takes it elsewhere to become as severe as the Luxury Mollusc tracks.

I will say I love Nacht und Nebel, but this work is a serious step up. The Luxury Mollusc tracks are excellent too, this served as an excellent, proper introduction to both project’s work. This cassette is one of the best releases that I have heard this year. We are in a new golden age of noise in the UK, no shit!

Euphoric Bullshit Vibe 2020.

Nevis Kretini/Choppy Noodles - 2019 Best of list.

Choppy Noodles > Nevis Kretini – Best of 2019.

This has been an amazing year, so many ace releases. Too many names to mention, it was impossible to limit to 10,so here are my 12 favourites.

Rusalka – Base Waters. Absurd Exposition – LP – 2019.

I knew of Rusalka, but this was the first time that I really listened - I reviewed this on first listen. Base Waters shifts through a lot of changes in Sonic Language over two tracks to create an album of powerful conceptualised effect. The sound builds to massive proportions as the language shifts and I am now very aware of this top tier project.

Nacht Und Nebel – Limitations – Self Released Cassette and Download– 2019.

I’ve gradually accumulated a lot of Nacht Und Nebel releases over the years through seeing the project play live. Both live shows and releases are always consistently strong with the project playing with acts like Ramleh, Blackcloudsummoner, Vampyres, Culver and many more over the years. However, this release really does stand out against the others, here the project really ups its game. Sounds are all sourced from a Cello and treated to varying degrees, overlaid to make epic compositions.

Ordeal by Roses – A Petty and Childish Obsession – Outsider Art – Cassette andDownload – 2019.

Both releases by Ordeal by Roses on the Outsider Art label this year have been very strong, I could have picked either of them. I’d call this a stand-alone, outsider project based in Cardiff, Wales that has come from trauma to the self. This took me by surprise, and I see this as a standout project amongst newer artists.

Niku Daruma – She Gets What She Wants – Black Ring Rituals – 2019.

Niku Daruma have been prolific this year, they featured on a lot of great split releases as well as their own. They all do other noise related projects, but this one really stands out. Some of the releases are base raw and work even better and I could pick from a few of their releases. They seem like nice people who turn into hysterical, violent monsters when performing, making amazing Harsh Noise whilst erupting everywhere.

Suffer In April – Pomona. Corde Raide Productions – Cassette – 2019.

I met this guy as he runs a tribute page to another noise artist, we got chatting and he said he had his own project called Suffer in April. The first release Femme Fatale is what I would call forward thinking Power Electronics, in contrast Pomona carries on these methods yet goes elsewhere and radiates immense beauty.

Entre Vifs – Offrande et Partage - Aussaat und Ernte - 2019.

This is a beautifully presented cd that cases the angrier side of Entre Vifs. I liked the previous album Ontologie a lot, but Offrande seems to go to much higher levels of intensity. Entre Vifs use their own self-made instruments to create an elaborate sound that is simultaneously structured and chaotic, yet to me they remain one of the most brutal noise acts of the present day.

Wolvestribe – Understanding the Ecological Role – Aaarrrg.

Wolvestribe came to my attention when a label called Harsh Noise London sent me some of their releases. HNL tend to put different artists on compilations together on recycled audio cassettes – Wolvestribe were part of a 4-way split. I was very impressed and had to investigate further and I was suitably convinced that we have a new heavyweight amongst the newer UK noise crop. Wolvestribe release their own lathe cut 10” records and frequently produce new material that is consistently of a high standard.

Testing Vault – Amnesia Milk. – Looney Tick – 2019.

I’ve followed Testing Vault for over a decade now, the project has changed and shifted gradually – with side projects that experiment in other areas of sound. The output by the project has been consistently strong, but Amnesia Milk seems to take the sound of reeds and drones that have been lurking in recent releases and take a massive leap forward with them to perfect things. Amnesia Milk eclipses Complete Shit Exorcism as the best Testing Vault recording so far.

S.T.A.B. Electronics – Enemy of Pigs – Unrest – 2019.

S.T.A.B. grabbed my attention as a strong modern-day project. On ‘Day of the Male’, the vocals were next level. ‘Mother, Mother, Mother please’ as a repeated opening sample opens Enemy of Pigs, this album is just bleak violence and pushes the project forwards to new levels of intensity and quality. Seeing the project live at the opening party for the release was something I will never forget. This album is strong on every track, a consistent, impressive step up.

Satori – The Braver the Bull, the Better the Bullfight – Outsider Art – 2019.

Outsider art often releases Knifedoutofexistence and does batches of four cassettes, all by different artists. The acts featured are often newer artists on the UK scene, however this time veteran project Satori was featured. It’s a repeated rule in PE that newer artists are where it is really at and older acts are often seen to be not what they were once. When I saw Satori live this year, that wasn’t the case, Dave Kirby was an unnerving presence which made for an effective show. Satori has this distanced rage that I see come through in other Outsider Art acts of the present day such as Ordeal by Roses and Knifedoutofexistence to a point where I see it as being influential. To top it off this cassette is excellent – clear evidence of an older act at the top of its game.

Active Denial – What Dreams are Made Of – Outsider Art – 2019.

Both releases by Active Denial are powerful, but this one is the best one, the sound is stripped down, raw and intense. Horrible noise and ranted sermons of bile. Active Denial are a name to watch as recordings and live performances are amazing. Get both recordings if you can, this was so popular it was gone in the blink of an eye and Research Laboratories reissued it. Thomas Laroche (one half of AD) has a whole bunch of stuff on there that is a whole new nightmare running parallel to this. I’m still not over the Summer of Hate, don’t know if I ever will be – you’re still it.

Detrimental Effect – Your Truth – Tesco – 2019.

I often talk about distanced Power Electronics; this however uses restraint in its sound – the tension that builds up as a result of this on Your Truth is enormous and makes for an effective, powerful release. Noise and samples play off each other, things pushed a hair’s length from their breaking points. This depiction of the lies used in politics and media is the soundtrack of today.

Nevis Kretini 2019. 

Nacht Und Nebel #2 – Limitations.

Nacht Und Nebel – Limitations – Cassette/Download – Self Released – 2018.

https://nachtundnebel.bandcamp.com/

A1. Satin Skin.

A2. Silk Hair.

A3. Velvet Eyes.

A4. Sawdust Heart.

B1. Brockengespenst.

B2 cleansing.

B3. I awoke in a new body.

This cover is silver, the cassette is silver, it shines at you and reflects your image – a beautiful aesthetic object. Each side is marked by a green dot and a red dot and the titles appear to tell a story.

When I look at the cover of this cassette, I see a blurred reflection of myself, so does it represent a distortion of the self, by being reflected in the cover, does the listener become part of the album? Is this representative of being seduced/taken in and losing your sense of self in the process?

Feedback introduces Satin Skin as drones and pulsations begin to play along, the feedback soon becomes apparent Cello abuse that seems to multiply upon itself. The sound becomes urgent and gasping as humming feedback is all that stays constant until the repeatedly sound dies off, the Cello reappears clean during the spluttering and collapsing. I then feel as if I am in a David Lynch film during Silk Hair with the dominant sound being one of strings being hit as rumbling and crunch build around it. The distortion takes prominence as the strings begin to die off; this is deep in sound and resonates until the strings return. Both elements seem to play off each other for a long period of time. Is this the warping of desire?

A more aggressive urgency takes us into Velvet Eyes, there is a bigger build-up of distorted sound here. Some shoutier noise, whether vocal or Cello sourced I am unsure, but this is a much angrier, louder Nacht Und Nebel in play. Feedback and dying drones come in and out of the sound. Warped bursts of sounds and scratchy strings are Sawdust Heart, this track has an early 20^th Century Avant Garde feel to it, chimes come in and a chaotic play off ensures. The chaotic nature of Sawdust Heart ensures it stands well against the intensity of earlier tracks.

The glory rays of the Brockengespenst seem to build up with each sound to form a collage of noises, eruptions and clangs that overlay each other - each resonation a new ray that intensifies the entire sound. The gradual build-up here is epic, eventually becoming violent and explosive with a slight restraint. The communication between elements of sound is ever present as if a conversation between characters or a display of emotions.  Cleansing seems to run with the violence of Brockengespenst and build on it. The sounds here contrast the main blasts are seriously processed as a Cello plays over the top of it, with all space filled by distortion – the play off is powerful. The background drones seem to eventually drive the whole piece in different directions.

The finale has its own identity and starts of subtle yet assertive in melody to signify the new start implied by the title. The strings that appear are strained as if to tie in with the intensity of the rest of the album, the pained distortion certainly do as a rebirth is hinted at through title and sound as it dramatically dies off.

This is an excellent cassette with a clear concept and delivery. The sonic communication is clear and focussed, the presentation perfect.

Nevis Kretini 2019

Nacht Und Nebel #1 - Stranglehold.

Nacht Und Nebel – Stranglehold. 3” CDR – Self Released – 2019.

https://nachtundnebel.bandcamp.com/

     1.    Stranglehold.

Nacht Und Nebel is a Nottingham based noise project that has been actively releasing and playing live since around 2011. There have been many self-released tapes and releases on other labels including Strange Rules, Nunwsp, Feral Tapes and KIKS/Girlfriend as well as live performances with Blackcloudsummoner, Ramleh, Vomir and Culver amongst many others.

I have many releases by this project as I have been a fan for a long time, seen many live performances and I have never been disappointed. I may have more releases by Nacht Und Nebel than any other project, if not it is one of my most collected. All sounds are sourced from a Cello which makes for original noise.

Stranglehold begins as if there is some serious discordant Cello abuse happening - almost a broken line or riff of some form. This breaks down into kind of broken Industrial landscape as if there is some alternate string plucking that becomes a rhythmic pulsing until it fractures towards disintegration. As things rebuild it is electronic sounds that must have once been Cello until processed beyond recognition, these are mixed with more recognizable Cello sounds. Stranglehold intensifies it’s sound to a more Noise/PE territory as the Cello appears to be screaming at one point, it is as if the sound is literally strangled at one point, it rises only to be strangled again.

I am as you now know a big fan of the 3”CDR format and Nacht Und Nebel, this suits the project well as opposed to the tape format often used. This warped soundscape is great, almost psychedelic in parts and Harsh in others. Keep an eye on this project as it is continually impresses and buy this excellent recording.

Nevis Kretini 2019.

Vampyres, Nacht Und Nebel and Occulting Light.

Rammel Club – 05/07/2019. Chameleon Arts Café, Occult and Light, Nacht Und Nebel and Vampyres. Chameleon, Nottingham.

http://www.rammelclub.org/

https://www.facebook.com/TheChameleonArtsCafe/

The Chameleon Arts Cafe.

For tonight’s event there were some last-minute changes, Lucy Adlington was replaced by Occulting Light. This was what I’d call a Nocturnal Beats project, built from arching Keyboard drones, beats and noise that made a slowly building sound, the work intensified as the set progressed. The beats seemed to become more tightly repetitive, as the moody sound built up to a hypnotic climax. I liked this and got into the performance, Beat driven, noise related things like Tetsuo, Abysse, Salford Electronics and Daphnellc have really been on my listening list lately. This really fit in with that for sure. I do believe this was the project’s third outing - good work, good show.

https://occultinglight.bandcamp.com/

Occulting Light.

For Nacht Und Nebel’s performance there were no stage lights, just the glow of the small light included in the artists set up; it was all about the noise made and made for an effective sound delivery. When the sounds started they were stuttered and choppy, interrupted by silence. It morphed to a bigger sound that was distorted, pulsating, throbbing and very controlled to make one of the most sonically tense and abrasive sets that I have seen from the project. There seemed to be a lot of individual sonic aspects put together in different segments of the show, it was very varied in sound language as various cutups built and interlinked to make a whole.

https://nachtundnebel.bandcamp.com/

Nacht und Nebel.

I was keen to hear Vampyres as I’d bought ‘Voyeurs at the gates of hell’ when Culver played here a few months back, it’s the project of Lee Stokoe of Culver and Martyn Reid. This is a more aggressive project in sound, there are massive drones combined with an army of noises. Their performance moved from being suspenseful, guttural, infected and pulsating throughout their set. Like their recordings the drones that underlie the music combine with the chaotic noise that batters away at the foreground and sound huge. Each artist’s sound grew tonight, but this went elsewhere. Vampyre’s set was simultaneously controlled and chaotic, I feel both members bring different things to the project, as a result I was very impressed by what I saw and bought their ‘Bloodstream’ tape plus a bunch of other Culver stuff.

https://soundcloud.com/vampyresgroup

https://soundcloud.com/depletion-1

https://awwfn.bandcamp.com/album/astral-sacrifice

Vampyres.

Great night.

Choppy Noodles 2019.

Vomir, walls and beyond.

Revisiting the walls.

I felt my Vomir review a few weeks ago was too abstract; I feel the need to engage with the walls in a credible and thorough way. This review is an attempt to do that or begin to.  

I recently bought 3 Vomir tapes at a live performance at Nottingham Chameleon Arts Cafe. The show was different to last time, it was different walls and there were no black bags on heads. Vomir stood still and motionless for nearly an hour as his wall played out. It was as if he was lost or seduced by his own wall of noise, or perhaps enhancing the supposed emptiness his walls are meant to reflect? The performance was extreme and unnerving as he showed no signs of movement or emotion, the build-up of sound on the powerful Chameleon Arts Café sound system was relentless and produced a massive void of sound. There was also a combined performance with author Paul Hegarty which was vastly different to Vomir and equally impressive. Hegarty also gave a talk on noise, he played audio samples and discussed them and ways of perceiving noise. This was interesting, funny and good to engage in rather than it being all noise acts. Nacht Und Nebel played and were great as usual. This is the second time I saw Vomir and both times were equally memorable. He previously said the following about playing live –

I guess you mean physically? Be (a)live is a fact that in any place, in any time claustration becomes an act of amputation in relation to the world.

As Loud as Possible magazine interview w Hicham Chadly, 2010.

Vomir /Fecalove - Shit and Vomit, mm & viii, cassette – ta607 – limited edition, unlisted.

a.            Vomir.

b.            Fecalove.

Fecalove – Nicola Vinciguerra – Italy. https://fecalove.bandcamp.com/

Vomir – Romain Perrot – France. https://vomirhnw.bandcamp.com/releases 

https://vomir.bandcamp.com/releases,

The Vomir side of this cassette does seem to build up as a sound form(less), as opposed to it being an immediate roar of sound which you’re immediately within. The wall does seem to be created by a deep/low rumble that is covered by a sharper/treblier crackle. The combination of these two elements can either simply just contrast or form a static void right in the core of the work.  The deeper rumble sound does seem to resonate and vary in its tone slightly; a wavering roar. Is the emptiness that is quoted in regard to Vomir’s sound replaced by a surrogate warmth via the simulated roar of flames? Or are you encased by radiating waves of emptiness on listening? Sometimes I think I hear other sounds buried deep in the mix.

Fecalove is at first playful in its colliding bouncing sounds that serve as an introduction before things shoot to the forefront of the listening sphere and collisions of sound become more aggressive. This is a very choppy, assaultive sound that doesn’t let you inside like a wall of noise does, it’s too shifting so focus is harder to achieve, you’re moved around a lot. As the track progressive walls of sharp noise to build, despite the up rise of intensity it does become easier to exist inside the sound than before.  The sound does occasionally falter and choke, to allow massive rebuilds of the sound or sketches of dying sound experimentation.

Vomir/Bleak Existence – Untitled. Cassette, Narcolepsia – narco068. 2017. 

https://narcolepsiahn.wordpress.com/

A1 Vomir – untitled.

B1 Bleak Existence – untitled.

This Vomir release is very immediate, mid, wavering rumble that periodically sharpens in sound as if to intensify the waves of noise.  The movement from sharp to deep increases and splits so the deeper waves settle to a more permanent shape and the sharper crackle constantly shifts in a dramatic fashion. As echoes build and intensify from the deeper sound the sharper sound rises to flamelike intensity and shifts across the stereo range furiously. The flame like sharpness blast of static sound intensifies continuously and is now the focus of noise as echoes remain inside the core of the noise. The major shifts in sound happen early on, the sound eventually stabilises as a fattened out deeper, continuous roar of static.

Quebec’s Bleak Existence’s sound really focusses on a faltering crackle, the minimal nature of the track makes for a more fragile, shattered wall.  There is a continuous dying sound quality splattering and cackling throughout the track.  As it develops the faltering periodically increases as if dragged along at force.  The faltering noise becomes an aggressive stutter that intensifies to a fuller sound with a harder bass depth and sharpness that cuts behind the splattering.  An acceleration in sound leads to a sudden end.

Vomir/Colique – Vomir/Colique. Scum Tapes 044. Scumyearth – Tape. 2017

https://scumyrearth.bandcamp.com/

release link: https://scumyrearth.bandcamp.com/album/vomir-colique-split

Vomir - Soyez Enfermés

cOLiQue – 7 sur 7

A sharp blast of Soyez Enfermés (be locked) begins to resonate in full restrained blast tunnel wall mode that seems to have a hissing back noise. It is as if the two exist side by side, deep roaring crackle and sharper static hiss. The deeper roar does seem to go through shifts in dynamic as if periodically riding across the stereo range as the static hiss becomes slightly deeper and acts as a base to the deeper noises. The shifts become more dramatic forming a widely looping wall as noises go off in the background.  The wall eventually seems to settle as the shifts are moved to the background and become noises behind the wall. The peace is temporary, a roaring, sharper distortion takes lead bringing things aggressively to the forefront of the work’s sound as it intensifies and accelerates into a roaring sharpened avalanche of static. This is by far the most dynamic Vomir recording of the three that I have reviewed in this piece. As the tape moved on, I placed my hands over the boom boxes built in speakers I was able to interact and play with the wall as this adjusted and wavered it’s sound, as I patted the speaker new resonations and pulsations occurred. ‘Click’, the tape ended.

The cOLIQue side is split across seven tracks. The maker is called Alex, possibly French. It’s difficult to differentiate the tracks of cOLIQue as there is a formless form of experimentation flowing throughout what is happening. Low level electronic noise and acoustic instrumental tinkering combine and occur with both taking lead at different times. I’m unsure if old soundtracks are used as samples or this is genuine pre-recorded work by the artist added into the mix. It forms timeless, abstract, old world landscapes of sound and noise; the instrumentation is very much early 20^th century whilst the electronic noise juxtaposes this as contemporary. I am unsure if these passages of sound poetry are spontaneously improvised or rehearsed. This is the second cOLIQue release, the project is worthy of an entire review of its’ own.

This release comes with an art zine. 

Roro Perrot – Peu Importe. Echoue Mieux. – CD – DSCDECHOUE - 2017

This is a Romain Perrot side project self described as Shit Folk. The Avant Garde random forms of cOLIQue leads me nicely into this, they kind of tie in on distant parallels. This is full of odd acoustic improvisations that are far removed from the walls of Vomir. Murmured singing/groaning occurs in the back ground, the guitar is plucked somewhere between random tuneless and melody; it becomes scratched and scraped as it progresses, the vocals descend into abstract, wordless growls and grunts. It helps me understand the Avant-Garde roots of Perrot and where he is coming from, this rings clear as a piano is abused. Things descend to more indistinguishable Noise in parts. It does have a sense comedic fun and really indulges the playfulness that sometimes occurs in bits of Vomir; but in other parts its randomness leads into serious territory.

It’s been good diving into a small part of this impressive, massive body of work. I’m Vomired out, thanks for reading.

Choppy Noodles 2018.
Vomir - http://www.reclusoire.com/
Decimation Sociale Bandcamp -  https://decimationsociale.bandcamp.com/music