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74 posts since 1/31/2009
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Posted on 9/7/2009 at 1:05:34 PM
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Ararat - Musica de la ResistenciaReview by JJ Koczan (StonerRock.com) MeteorCity Release date: Available now Even looking at the two titles with which he’s chosen to represent his first solo outing apart from Los Natas, it’s plain to see Sergio Chotsourian is working to reconcile two sides of himself. For a band moniker, he’s chosen Ararat, the highest mountain in and national symbol of his ancestral Armenia (actually it’s located in Turkey now, but everyone pretty much considers it Armenian anyway), and for an album title, Musica de la Resistencia, which is inextricably linked to the Latin American revolutionary ideal. The Argentine guitarist/vocalist lets loose this cross-cultural interplay across seven mostly experimental tracks on Ararat’s MeteorCity debut, making a marked sonic departure from his main outfit - at least mostly. There are two extended tracks on the mostly instrumental Musica de la Resistencia, and the first of them is opener “Gitanoss,” named for the Romani peoples of Spain. The song begins with an echoey sample and high desert tones with drums underneath before devolving into more ambient territory. Chotsourian wastes no time establishing the fact that Ararat is not going to be a band with one particular approach and a darker track such as the organ-infused “Gitanoss” is only one face he might choose to show at any given time. Surprisingly, he follows it with an exact port of “Dos Horses” from Los Natas’ latest album, Nuevo Orden de la Libertad (Small Stone). The tones that began and ended that record appear here almost as a flotation device to keep listeners from drowning in the dreariness of the 14 minutes prior, although one wonders if Chotsourian was looking to connect Musica de la Resistencia with Nuevo Orden de la Libertad, he couldn’t have taken the central musical theme of “Dos Horses” and put it into a new context. The piece has already shown itself malleable enough to be used for multiple purposes, but this is a small gripe. “El Carrusel” does show a bit of a circus atmosphere, but it’s twisted like a slowed-down version of the backward tape loops that made “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” from Sgt. Pepper’s so terrifying. Chotsourian’s take on it is somewhat less horror-based, though, and the light guitar lines at the start of “El Carrusel” wind up sounding like the atmospheric menu music to a Final Fantasy game. The organ that showed up in the opener makes another, more droning, appearance, and with these two components each clearly stated, they’re soon joined together, perhaps as a means for exacting the reconciliation noted above. It’s a track heavier than the sum of its parts either way, and the minute of wholesome acoustic reprieve that comes with “Little Grissy” feels well earned and bright in comparison to what surrounds it. Like “Dos Horses,” “Ganar-Perder” is also pulled from Los Natas’ Nuevo Orden de la Libertad, but the version that appears on Musica de la Resistencia is anything but identical. Longer, acoustic, and deconstructed, Chotsourian makes the song into a work of avant singer-songwriterism, with keys behind his guitar and a long silence before “Magia Negra,” the second of the album’s lengthiest tracks at 11:50, comes on with backwards guitar layered over a drone. The movements of “Magia Negra” are varied but fluid, and as the keyboard washes give way to feedback-accompanied acoustics that fall into a percussion-laced build before highlighting a warm bass tone and ultimately succumbing once again to the backwards guitar and a noisy finish, it’s easy to get lost in the proceedings and come out of it at the end wondering what the hell you just heard. It’s a song to make you lose time. Closing Musica de la Resistencia, “Castro” begins with a sample that may or may not be of its namesake and rides a relatively straightforward riff to the album’s finish. There are no vocals other than the occasional howl or scream, and the drums featured feel like a novelty in comparison to the six tracks prior. Apart from recognizable flashes, Ararat has little in common with Los Natas, and the challenging aesthetic adopted by Chotsourian for this project will most likely put off some of the fans of his principle outlet’s more accessible, catchy moments. Still, as an experiment it would be hard to rate Musica de la Resistencia as anything other than a success, since it righteously culls together its multi-cultural pieces into a cohesive whole. It is an album that demands close attention and maybe nighttime, but provided these conditions can be met, it’s a rewarding listening experience well worth the effort.
URL: http://www.ararat-musica.com
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3,549 posts since 5/11/2002
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Posted on 8/20/2009 at 10:08:57 AM
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Ararat - Musica de La Resistencia
Review by Scrit
MeteorCity Records
Release date: August 2009
When the Solodolor/ Ararat split vinyl was released at the beginning of this year (February I think I got mine), it came as a special kind of news for me. While the Solodolor side didn't resonate with my tastes, as a long time devotee of Los Natas' Toba Trance albums the Ararat side really struck the chord. Some quarter-of-an-hour-long, deep space, spiral-out in that great Latin-psych way that The Natas brings it, is what they delivered with 'Gitanoss'. Forgive that shitty sentence structure. So I went apeshit at the thought of an Ararat full-length. And thank you MeteorCity for picking them up. It’s amazing how good things can still slip between the cracks but, indeed, this one did not.
Nuevo Orden de La Libertad was a undoubtedly a ‘rock’ album (though there were softer passages). I liked it a lot, but it’s not my favorite Natas record. I think partly because it lacked enough of a balance of the Toba Trance-side of the band’s capability and delivery. Some might call it a shoe-gazing or aimless wandering s t y l e, but not me (I mean that s t y l e in general, not the particular way Los Natas handles it). For me, its largely why I listen to music and this kind in particular.
Musica de La Resistencia by all rights could or should be Toba Trance III. I will get my one beef out of the way first- and that is the presence of ‘Dos Horses’, a song seemingly no different from the version on Nuevo Orden…. In an only seven-song album, a repeat is a bit of a letdown. Though in the context of these songs, it fits perfectly. There are some unexpected textures on the album like the Circus-music type suggestions on ‘El Carrusel’, but it comes and goes instead of dominating. When I saw that ‘Ganar-Perder’ (also from Nuevo Orden de La Libertad) was among the Ararat songs it was vexing. But on Musica… its sufficiently different- the acoustic interpretation of its ‘rock’ cousin. Thankfully pervasive is that earthy, analogy, deep, sub-Equatorial-acoustic Sergio does so well. ‘Little Grissy’ is, though pretty, unfortunately filler at under a minute. The real treats are ‘Gitanoss’ (that starts off the record, and the reason I got so excited about Ararat early this year) and the 12-minute ‘Magia Negra’ which is the band in full indigenous trip-out Ayahuasca mode. The meditative variety.
On the whole the album really works, is what I was hoping it would be (a Toba Trance album. But at the same time, full respect to Sergio’s guest musicians: his brother Santiago, Nicolas Mallo/ bass, Mariano Pini/ slide guitar, El Topo/ words). I know with further listens it will continue to gel and grab me even deeper, it was worth the anticipation. Toba Trance lovers/ fans of the ethereal, mellower side of Los Natas, will not be disappointed. Pick this one up bros...
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2,257 posts since 11/15/2000
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Posted on 8/23/2009 at 10:59:08 AM
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Reading comprehension is a lost art.
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3,549 posts since 5/11/2002
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Posted on 9/8/2009 at 8:53:00 AM
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Hey now, how come you trumped my official review?
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55,337 posts since 7/17/2002
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Posted on 9/8/2009 at 9:15:04 AM
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Because his was officially official, meaning it was entered into the system by yours truly.
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I`m never going to work another day in my life
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38 posts since 4/12/2001
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Posted on 9/9/2009 at 6:39:55 AM
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I'm looking forward to listening to this album - whilst I am a fan of Los Natas' "rock" songs, I've always been more drawn to their Toba-Trance s t y l e epics (I particularly like the Munchen Sessions album)
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3,549 posts since 5/11/2002
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Posted on 9/10/2009 at 10:06:02 AM
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My review wasn't officially official? I can officiate with the best of the officials, officer Arzgarth. And don't you forget that in the courtroom!
Mush- the album is out already and yes you should pick it up. If you like the two Toba's you will like Ararat. And as per the recent Sergio interview, the good news is what's up next for Los Natas is Toba Trance III... Nice, hm?
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7,388 posts since 11/24/1999
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Posted on 11/14/2009 at 1:32:58 PM
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FROM HELLRIDE: Ararat - Musica de la Resistencia (MeteorCity) By Chris Barnes November 12, 2009 Some years ago, more than I care to count, I was lucky enough to catch Los Natas at the Troubadour here in LA. They were the last band on, there was maybe 12 people in the place aside from the employees. What a mind-blowing set. Aside from the great Colour Haze , nobody can work groove and pure, unadulterated dynamics like they do. Peaks and valleys, volcanos and waterfalls of pure musical magic. Now we’re in the fading light of 2009 with long-time Los Natas leader Sergio Chotsourian’s first solo project called Ararat, named after the dormant volcano/mountain range that represents the national symbol of Chotsourian’s ancestral Armenia. I’ve long considered him a musical genius and the jazz-like chemistry between himself, Walter and whomever happens to be playing bass in the band, a smile from the Gods. It’s very cool to get an opportunity to hear Sergio indulge his muse a bit more on his own. The dude is definitely one prolific MF’r. All of the songs on Musica de la Resistance build into each other effortlessly except for the last one. The ebb and flow of the music is similar to Los Natas’s compositions. Don’t expect raucous rock n’ roll rhythmic fury on this though – Sergio digs deeper for a more cerebral, headphone set of compositions. The war-like opening of drums and the druggy haze of “Gitamoss” build 13 minute layers of aural texture, spiraling into a the far reaches of space rock and only held earthbound by the flamenco-s t y l e strumming of an acoustic guitar. “Dos Horses” is by far the most traditional sounding track and the most beautiful, a 5 minute piece composed of acoustic guitars, electronics and some of the most inspired piano work I’ve heard in a long time. “El Carrusel” offers what sounds like variations on a theme inspired by the opening of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, with heavily distorted guitars tamed here and there by a reoccurring piano riff and a woozy carousel organ. “Little Grissy” serves as a folk-inspired opening for my second favorite track (after “Dos Horses”), “Ganar-Perder”, an acoustic track sung entirely in reverb and delay-drenched Spanish, a beautiful female back-up, harmonica, and subtle percussion adding a Dylan-esque color to the proceedings. “Magia-Negra” is for the trippers out there… it’s like waking up in the Ararat range just as the mushrooms kick in. It has a hallucinatory Middle Eastern vibe about it, like looking at a mirage… eyeing the opaque and gaseous heat dancing way off in the distance. Flamenco guitar, Moroccan percussion and flute elements make this a real treat, Chotsourian painting a collage of cultural influences and colors together in one song. Last track, “Castro” is the closest to Los Natas we’ll get, with a heavy bass groove in the back holding steady as Sergio uses voice to alternately squawk and talk in urgent, cartoon-like Spanish in an electronic wash. Coming out of the trance-inducing “Magia-Negra”, I gotta say it’s a harsh way to end this record. I’d rather go out in a trance then sit bolt upright once “Castro” blows my buzz. It’s one flaw on an otherwise uncompromised diamond. Musica de la Resistance is a terrific first outing for Chotsourian, he’s trotted his Ararat project out in s t y l e. Musica… serves as both insight and testament to the talent and versatility of his capabilities as a musician. Don’t let labels and categories hold you back a listen, there is common ground here for fans of all genres of music to admire.
URL: http://www.hellridemusic.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=21215
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A period of adjustment is to be expected
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7,388 posts since 11/24/1999
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Posted on 11/17/2009 at 5:24:40 PM
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FROM INVISIBLE ORANGES: Acoustic guitar also gets atypical settings in Ararat's Musica de la Resistencia (MeteorCity, 2009). Ararat is a project by Sergio Chotsourian, vocalist/guitarist for Argentinian stoner metal band Los Natas. The name comes from Chotsourian's partial Armenian heritage. (He is also part German; see this great interview with him here.) His eclectic background comes out in Ararat. The album encompasses Spanish classical guitar, Michael Nyman-like piano patterns, Beck-esque strumming, and psychedelic passages that tie into Chotsourian's Los Natas side. Surprisingly, it's not a mess. Rather, it sounds like the soundtrack to a movie. The haunting motifs in Kieœlowski's The Double Life of Véronique come to mind. I'm willing to pin the "genius" tag on Chotsourian.
URL: http://invisibleoranges.com/2009/11/strange-in-stereo-1-echtra-ararat
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A period of adjustment is to be expected
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7,388 posts since 11/24/1999
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Posted on 12/25/2009 at 2:18:06 PM
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FROM AQUARIUS RECORDS:
ARARAT "Musica De La Resistencia" (MeteorCity) cd 11.98
Weird and wonderful one here, folks. And it's for folky folks,
though it's got a HEAVY pedigree. A lot of you are fans, like us, of
South American stoner rock cosmonauts Los Natas, so you'll sort of
(but not really) know what to expect here, Ararat being Los Natas
guitarist Sergio Chotsourian's solo side project, and it is
psychedelic like the most darkly psychedelic of Los Natas' output,
coming closest perhaps to the proggy spaciness of Los Natas' two Toba-
Trance discs for Circle's Ektro label, but is even more abstract and
stripped down, not actually rock at all, often all-acoustic, "New
Weird Argentina" maybe we'd call it! Ararat could be some kind of
haunted, campfire krautrock, more like a field recording than the
finished product of a studio session (even if the studio is called
Death, which is where this was in fact recorded).
It starts off with "Gitanoss", an quietly epic almost 14
minutes of moody late-night strum, ambient hum, echoes, drifting
melody, hazy organ drone, ritual percussion, backwards effects...
quite a trip, as is this whole disc, Chotsourian climbing his personal
Holy Mountain here (Mount Ararat!), it seems, this album a musical
sketchbook of his ascent, of sorts.
Track two turns out to be a reprise of "Dos Horses", the album-
ender of most recent Los Natas disc, Nuevo Orden De La Libertad, this
alternate version not that far removed from the acoustic guitar/piano
interplay of the original (Chotsourian just must be very proud of this
particular composition, and it is quite nice). Next, there's the
spooky "El Carrusel", all billowing fuzz and tinkling bell, like
Stephen Wray Lobdell's Davis Redford Triad doing the soundtrack for a
John Carpenter film!
While that one got heavy, the next is not, the pretty "Little
Grissy" being under a minute of guitar and guitar only, Chotsourian
giving a delicate demonstration of his chops for the Takoma crowd,
leading into the hushed and melodic "Ganar-Perder", which to us sounds
like Ghost's Masaki Batoh reinterpreting "Planet Caravan" or something
(it too is a version of a song from Nuevo Orden De La Libertad, but in
this case much altered, extended and acoustic). That's followed by the
delicate Spanish guitar and atmospheric creaky crackle of the nearly
12 minute long "Magia Negra", one that Sir Richard Bishop fans should
enjoy.
Only finale "Castro" is a "real" rock song, sounding like a
band (Los Natas, or even Circle), with proper drums, and amps fully
cranked, with vocals that Circle's Mika Ratto might think were his
own, and even this one stays freaky and uncommitted, 'til it ends with
the clatter of abandoned drumsticks, electricity flickering,
Chotsourian and his mysterious band wandering away into the desert
night.
We always say Boris fans should check out Los Natas. And Boris
fans should check this out too, but we think Ararat is also for folks
into Six Organs Of Admittance, James Blackshaw, Jozef Van Wissem,
Feathers, Steven R. Smith and other Jewelled Antler stuff, all that
whole post-Fahey psychfolk scene, with the astral Argentinean/
Amerindian/Armenian/Appalachian vibes here flowing as ominous,
minimalist mesmer, intimate and entrancing...
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A period of adjustment is to be expected
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602 posts since 4/5/2004
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Posted on 1/21/2010 at 7:55:20 PM
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don't get this at all, thought i might with all the Toba Trance references in reviews, but it does nothing for me,...got a cd for trade if anyone is interested??
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