At the time it came out four years ago in 2015, Sergio Ch.‘s first solo album, 1974 (review here), seemed to take shape directly from out of the third offering from his band Ararat, 2014’s Cabalgata Hacia la Luz (review here). The two shared several tracks, among them “La Familia y las Guerras,” and both had an overarching purpose in introspection, an intimate feel that manifested in experimentalist-tinged folk in one and brash heavy punk/rock in the other. Still, they were linked, and with Sergio Chotsourian‘s songwriting at the epicenter, they held a consistency that went beyond whatever sonic disparities there may have been. Different appeal, same level of quality between them.

Chotsourian has since gone on to form the trio Soldati and begin to dole out singles and other short releases ahead of an eventual full-length, and he’s also put out the second acoustic-ish album, 2017’s Aurora (review here), as well as several collaborative efforts of various stripes, but I still break out 1974 on occasion, and songs like “La Familia y las Guerras” are a big part of why. Arrangement-wise, there’s nothing outlandish about it, and it’s not as drone even as some of the material on the subsequent full-length would be, but it carries a nonetheless open feel and is spacious thanks to a bit of echo while still staying intimate in a close-up-to-the-mic vocal-style from Chotsourian, who if he didn’t record it live certainly gives a convincing facsimile of having done so.

As to why now would be a time to make a video for a song on a record that was released so long ago, I’d only ask the obvious question: “Who cares?” In addition to the aforementioned and long-bandied Soldati long-player, there’s been word that Chotsourian will do another solo offering under his own name, and that will be something to look forward to, but in the meantime, why not shut up and take what one can get? If that’s going for a backwards walk in some hot-looking desert space, then so be it. One could, of course, do a lot worse, both in the video and in life generally.

I’ve also included the full 1974 stream below, in case it’s been a while.

Enjoy:

Sergio Ch., “La Familia y las Guerras” official video

VIDEO OFICIAL DEL DISCO DE SERGIO CH. – “1974”
PRODUCIDO POR SERGIO CH.
VIDEO REALIZADO POR MILAGROS ARROM Y LUCAS MARTINEZ

OUI OUI RECORDS
SOUTH AMERICAN SLUDGE RECORDS

Sergio Ch., 1974 (2015)

South American Sludge Records on Thee Facebooks

South American Sludge website

South American Sludge Records on Bandcamp

Now, Google’s translation matrix may have played hell with some of the copy in the quote below from current Ararat and former Los Natas frontman Sergio Chotsourian — who also has a new band called Soldati that will be worth keeping an eye on — but the point you want to take away from the whole thing is that Sergio Ch.‘s solo album, 1974, has gotten a limited release on CD through his own South American Sludge imprint and Oui Oui Records. The album continues to build on the personal themes that Ararat‘s 2014 outing, Cabalgata Hacia la Luz (review here), put forth, drawing on different interpretations of some of the same material to give a companion feel from one release to the next while still covering raw, untrod ground.

I continue to await the day when Sergio Ch. puts up a webstore with international shipping, but if you can track down the limited CD version in the meantime, it’s worth the effort. Sergio Ch. also has a new video for “Las Piedras” from the album (a different incarnation was on the last Ararat as well), and you can see that under the album info below, which came down the PR wire:

“1974” produced artistically by its author, is a release of Oui Oui Records South American Sludge Records.

A limited edition CD 13 songs that reflect concepts of life, redemption and exchange format transformed into work.

In the words of Sergio Ch:
“1974 is the story of my journey. A meeting with myself, with my ghosts, my demons. So it was lightning in the dark to start riding towards the light”

“In 1974 the concept was that the songs remain the most crude and simple as possible, with fewer elements to define them. No recording quality, but color takes sought. Therefore Creole and acoustic guitars and piano They took great character in the main audio. As the voices, poetry and audio was most important for this record. Almost like a search from the lo-fi. Some of the songs were the first shots of some issues that then They formed part of the album Ararat “Ride into the light”. Others are part of my history, my experiences and radical changes that I made in the last years of my life. The dark and heavy as possible rock is intended, in the manner and form in which the message of the song, either with a note and a word can convey that manifests itself. It does not take a double bass and 10 distortion pedals to make battery. The dark and heavy is the message same, in this case the change, the break and how to get ahead in life no matter what happens.”

https://sasrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/SASRECORDSARGENTINA/
https://www.youtube.com/user/Nataspress
http://www.ouioui-records.com/

Sergio Ch., “Las Piedras” official video

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I like making these podcasts because I never really know where they’re going to end up once I get started. One song leads to the next leads to the next, and before you know it, you’re all spaced out on how cool some brand new acoustic At Devil Dirt sounds coming out of the brutal dead-sludge of Coltsblood, or deep into the ultra vibes of a second hour loaded with interstellar meanderings. Some of these go brutal. This one just went far out.

That At Devil Dirt EP was just released yesterday, so if you don’t recognize the title, that’s probably why. A lot of this stuff is pretty recent, and while some of the songs you might’ve seen around, whether it was the Conan song they did the video for or the Druglord track that was streamed here with the full album, still other cuts, like the Trilogy, Black Moon Circle and Mope are new to these parts. As ever, I think it winds up with a decent blend and I hope you agree.

First Hour:
Ogre, “Nine Princes in Amber” from The Last Neanderthal (2014)
Sun Shepherd, “Awaiting the Firepit” from Procession of Trampling Hoof (2014)
Trilogy, “Invade and Occupy” from Burned Alive (2013)
Young Hunter, “Welcome to Nothing” from Split with Ohioan (2014)
Sergio Ch., “La Familia y las Guerras” from 1974 (2013)
Hull, “Legend of the Swamp Goat” from Legend of the Swamp Goat 7” (2014)
Conan, “Foehammer” from Blood Eagle (2014)
Druglord, “Feast on the Eye” from Enter Venus (2014)
Coltsblood, “Beneath Black Skies” from Into the Unfathomable Abyss (2014)

Second Hour:
At Devil Dirt, “Mirame” from Dinner is Ready (2014)
Black Moon Circle, “Enigmatic SuperBandit” from Black Moon Circle (2014)
Eidetic Seeing, “A Snake Whose Years are Long” from Against Nature (2014)
Goya, “Death’s Approaching Lullaby” from 777 (2013)
Mope, “La Caduta” from Mope (2014)
Mike Scheidt, “Rake” from Songs of Townes Van Zandt Vol. II (2014)

Total running time: 1:56:49

Thank you for listening.

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