Rostam
“Gwan”
“Half-Light”
Wow. Rostam Batmanglij is making music apart from Vampire Weekend, and it is damned well beautiful. With a touch of the Vampire in his solo stuff, Rostam also has drawn influence from the Verve and other masters of Brit-Pop, but he has made the music his own. Rostam is a dreamer, in the very best sense of course. His music is deep and personal, with this dreamy quality to it. I think it’s his voice. He always sounds like he is picking you out personally to sing to. As Pitchfork so succinctly says, “His personal identity as a queer, first-generation Iranian-American immigrant who came up through the largely straight and white world of indie rock only adds to his rep as a disruptive force for good.” Rostam has proven with this new album that peaceful, quirky, quivering vocals can get your point across better than shoving it down your throat. Rostam is my new hero. Please, make more records. You are always such a delight.