Rostam's Debut Album, "Half-Light," Out Now on Nonesuch

Browse by:
Year
Browse by:
Publish date (field_publish_date)
Submitted by nonesuch on
Article Type
Publish date
Excerpt

Half-Light, the debut album from Rostam, known for his work in Vampire Weekend, is out now. NPR calls it "stunning ... one of the year's most arresting albums." The New Yorker says it's "a wondrous album, full of coy dreams and quiet yearning." The Daily Beast calls it "a sublime collection of baroque pop ... one of the more extraordinary records of the year." Interview says: "It's joyous and catchy, intimate and spacious, and, like its creator, exists in a musical world all its own." Rolling Stone gives it four stars. Rostam performs at Easy Street Records in Seattle on Monday and at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on September 27; he will tour Europe in November.

Copy

Half-Light, the debut album from Rostam, is out now on Nonesuch Records. Rostam is known for his work in Vampire Weekend and produced each of their three albums. His kaleidoscopic debut album features fifteen songs that were written, produced, and performed by Rostam in his Los Angeles home studio. To pick up a copy of Half-Light, head to your local music shop, iTunes, Amazon, or the Nonesuch Store, where CD and vinyl orders include a download of the complete album at checkout, and listen to the album on Apple Music and Spotify.

NPR Music calls the new album "stunning." Half-Light is "one of the year's most arresting albums," exclaims NPR's Robin Hilton. "Its breathtaking choral and string arrangements, idiosyncratic beats and intricate wordplay make it practically impossible to hear without giving it your undivided attention. Moments of profound beauty give way to a kind of sonic chaos and wonder that can leave your head spinning." Read more and see what Rostam has to say in a track-by-track breakdown of the album at npr.org/music.

The New Yorker says Half-Light is "a wondrous album, full of coy dreams and quiet yearning." The Daily Beast calls it "a sublime collection of baroque pop ... one of the more extraordinary records of the year."

Rolling Stone gives the album four stars. "Ex-Vampire Weekend MVP Rostam Batmanglij has ... refused to choose between his former group’s Ivy League-aesthete indie rock and modern vernacular electro-pop," writes reviewer Will Hermes, "opting instead to cherry-pick the best of both worlds."

"Half-Light is filled with lush details: closely mic'd vocals, picturesque scene-setting, weightless swells of strings, and electronic textures," says Interview magazine. "It's joyous and catchy, intimate and spacious, and, like its creator, exists in a musical world all its own."

New York magazine recommends the album on its To-Do list, considering it "a sweetly offbeat showcase for his tender vocals, sweeping string arrangements, and wistful storytelling."

Q magazine gives Half-Light four stars as well. It's a "complex, rewarding solo debut ... a stylistic hall-of-mirrors that refracts modern styles (R&B, electronica) through classical arrangements and eastern percussion." The Evening Standard gives it four stars too, saying: "Half-Light is incredibly rich and varied ... It may be [Rostam’s] first solo album but it sounds like the work of 10 men."

The Economist's arts magazine 1843 dubs it "a luminous record from an illuminating mind." Consequence of Sounds says it's "a quiet revelation that places his talents front and center, the key to unlocking just how instrumental he's always been, and will hopefully remain, for years to come." Gay Times gives the album four stars, calling it "a gloriously unpolished and big hearted pop record."

Rostam celebrated the album's release with an in-store performance and signing at Amoeba Hollywood yesterday. He does so again at Easy Street Records in Seattle next Monday, September 18, and in concert at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in New York on September 27. He will take part in The Growlers Six festival in Los Angeles on October 28. Rostam will tour Europe in November, including performances in France, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands and London; European tour tickets go on sale on September 20. See below for details or visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.

ROSTAM ON TOUR

Sep 18 Easy Street Records Seattle, WA
Sep 27 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY
     
Oct 28 The Growlers Six San Pedro, CA
     
Nov 1 Pitchfork Avant-Garde Festival Paris, FRANCE
Nov 3 Rolling Stone Weekender Holstein, GERMANY
Nov 5 Musik & Frieden Berlin, GERMANY
Nov 6 Pumpehuset Copenhagen, DENMARK
Nov 8 Blå Oslo, NORWAY
Nov 9 Bar Brooklyn Stockholm, SWEDEN
Nov 11 Melkweg Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS
Nov 14 Courtyard Theatre London, UK
     
featuredimage
Rostam: "Half-Light" [cover]
  • Friday, September 15, 2017
    Rostam's Debut Album, "Half-Light," Out Now on Nonesuch

    Half-Light, the debut album from Rostam, is out now on Nonesuch Records. Rostam is known for his work in Vampire Weekend and produced each of their three albums. His kaleidoscopic debut album features fifteen songs that were written, produced, and performed by Rostam in his Los Angeles home studio. To pick up a copy of Half-Light, head to your local music shop, iTunes, Amazon, or the Nonesuch Store, where CD and vinyl orders include a download of the complete album at checkout, and listen to the album on Apple Music and Spotify.

    NPR Music calls the new album "stunning." Half-Light is "one of the year's most arresting albums," exclaims NPR's Robin Hilton. "Its breathtaking choral and string arrangements, idiosyncratic beats and intricate wordplay make it practically impossible to hear without giving it your undivided attention. Moments of profound beauty give way to a kind of sonic chaos and wonder that can leave your head spinning." Read more and see what Rostam has to say in a track-by-track breakdown of the album at npr.org/music.

    The New Yorker says Half-Light is "a wondrous album, full of coy dreams and quiet yearning." The Daily Beast calls it "a sublime collection of baroque pop ... one of the more extraordinary records of the year."

    Rolling Stone gives the album four stars. "Ex-Vampire Weekend MVP Rostam Batmanglij has ... refused to choose between his former group’s Ivy League-aesthete indie rock and modern vernacular electro-pop," writes reviewer Will Hermes, "opting instead to cherry-pick the best of both worlds."

    "Half-Light is filled with lush details: closely mic'd vocals, picturesque scene-setting, weightless swells of strings, and electronic textures," says Interview magazine. "It's joyous and catchy, intimate and spacious, and, like its creator, exists in a musical world all its own."

    New York magazine recommends the album on its To-Do list, considering it "a sweetly offbeat showcase for his tender vocals, sweeping string arrangements, and wistful storytelling."

    Q magazine gives Half-Light four stars as well. It's a "complex, rewarding solo debut ... a stylistic hall-of-mirrors that refracts modern styles (R&B, electronica) through classical arrangements and eastern percussion." The Evening Standard gives it four stars too, saying: "Half-Light is incredibly rich and varied ... It may be [Rostam’s] first solo album but it sounds like the work of 10 men."

    The Economist's arts magazine 1843 dubs it "a luminous record from an illuminating mind." Consequence of Sounds says it's "a quiet revelation that places his talents front and center, the key to unlocking just how instrumental he's always been, and will hopefully remain, for years to come." Gay Times gives the album four stars, calling it "a gloriously unpolished and big hearted pop record."

    Rostam celebrated the album's release with an in-store performance and signing at Amoeba Hollywood yesterday. He does so again at Easy Street Records in Seattle next Monday, September 18, and in concert at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in New York on September 27. He will take part in The Growlers Six festival in Los Angeles on October 28. Rostam will tour Europe in November, including performances in France, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands and London; European tour tickets go on sale on September 20. See below for details or visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.

    ROSTAM ON TOUR

    Sep 18 Easy Street Records Seattle, WA
    Sep 27 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY
         
    Oct 28 The Growlers Six San Pedro, CA
         
    Nov 1 Pitchfork Avant-Garde Festival Paris, FRANCE
    Nov 3 Rolling Stone Weekender Holstein, GERMANY
    Nov 5 Musik & Frieden Berlin, GERMANY
    Nov 6 Pumpehuset Copenhagen, DENMARK
    Nov 8 Blå Oslo, NORWAY
    Nov 9 Bar Brooklyn Stockholm, SWEDEN
    Nov 11 Melkweg Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS
    Nov 14 Courtyard Theatre London, UK
         
    Journal Articles:Album ReleaseArtist News

Enjoy This Post?

Get weekly updates right in your inbox.
terms

X By submitting my information, I agree to receive personalized updates and marketing messages about Nonesuch based on my information, interests, activities, website visits and device data and in accordance with the Privacy Policy. I understand that I can opt-out at any time by emailing privacypolicy@wmg.com.

Thank you!
x

Welcome to Nonesuch's mailing list!

Customize your notifications for tour dates near your hometown, birthday wishes, or special discounts in our online store!
terms

By submitting my information, I agree to receive personalized updates and marketing messages about Nonesuch based on my information, interests, activities, website visits and device data and in accordance with the Privacy Policy. I understand that I can opt-out at any time by emailing privacypolicy@wmg.com.

Related Posts

  • Friday, March 22, 2024
    Friday, March 22, 2024

    The Staves’ new album, All Now, produced by John Congleton (Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen), is out now, marking their debut album as the duo of Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor, after their sister Emily’s departure. “There was a delayed reaction to trauma and these big changes out of your control,” Jess says of the period after the February 2021 release of their album Good Woman, as the band—like everyone—was forced to sit with their thoughts. Struggling after two years of deep solitude and pain, The Staves did what they know how to do best: they got back to writing with the idea of going back to basics and focusing almost solely on each other and their guitars as a starting point.

    Journal Topics: Album ReleaseArtist News
  • Friday, March 22, 2024
    Friday, March 22, 2024

    Timo Andres’ new album, The Blind Banister, is out now on Nonesuch. The album comprises three works by the composer/pianist: the piano concerto The Blind Banister (a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2016), with Andres as soloist, and Upstate Obscura for chamber orchestra and cello, with soloist Inbal Segev—both of which feature Metropolis Ensemble and conductor Andrew Cyr—and the solo piano piece Colorful History, also performed by Andres.

    Journal Topics: Album ReleaseArtist News