Even if you don’t know Rostam Batmanglij by name, you might have heard his music. The Washington D.C. native and graduate of Columbia University’s music school has built an impressive portfolio of collaborators over the last decade.
Batmanglij was a key member of Vampire Weekend – the bookish collegiate band who hit it big with their cool, cerebral brand of pop – until 2016. He’s also worked with the likes of Frank Ocean, Charli XCX and Solange in recent years.
Half-Light, his debut album under his own name, comprehensively represents the “Rostam sound:” dreamy romanticism communicated through warm synthesizers and classical string arrangements. Depending on your sensibilities, Half-Light will come off as either unforgettably radiant or uncomfortably cloying. In this writer’s opinion, it’s (mostly) the former. Half-Light is the debut album that Batmanglij, with all his emotional virtuosity, was always going to make.
Do you ever tear up in wonder at the overwhelming beauty and complexity of the universe? If so, then you’ll find a kindred spirit in the lyrics and music of Half-Light. Both lyrically and musically, Batmanglij expresses himself in universal platitudes. This is exemplified in “EOS,” which features the lyrics “every one of us has felt our heartbeat pound,” along with a Latin choir singing from the proverbial heavens.
Throughout the album, Batmanglij admires a variety of life’s small beauties, from sunlight playing across a lover’s eyes in “Wood” to taking a friend’s car to the oceanside at the end of “Gwan.” Similarly, the music is universally minded, taking influence from everything, from futuristic R&B to ancient Persian music.
Half-Light is probably intended to be something of an anthology of Batmanglij’s music to date. While most of the album consists of new music, tracks like “Wood” and “Don’t Let It Get To You” date back to the early 2010’s. The album flows decently, considering the eclectic nature of its songs. The anthemic “Sumer” and “Bike Dream” set things off to a flying start, and “EOS” and “Gwan” are a wonderful way to arrive at an ending.
Somehow, even with all of Half-Light’s disparate musical influences, the entire thing just works as a project, most likely thanks to the consistently warm and wondrous tone of the instruments at play.
Batmanglij is similar to Paul McCartney in that he’s at his best when he composes a truly unforgettable melody, and there are plenty of those moments on this album. Your favorite songs are bound to vary person to person, but I’m partial to “Gwan”, which halfway through melts from a spry morning tune into a painfully emotional hymn. Or the song “EOS,” where Rostam punctuates his romantic lyrics with the heart-like thud of a tribal drum. Additionally, the album’s title track is enticing, and features Kelly Zutrau of the band Wet during the song’s coda.
Okay, I had a lot of favorites.
All things considered, Half-Light is textbook Batmanglij. It’s very 21st century in its scope – it’s messy sounding on the surface but astonishingly well-composed, and it’s heartbreakingly tender from song to unpredictable song. You may want to stay away from this record if you’re less of a pushover for grand emotional gestures, for there are plenty of them. Having said that, those listeners might still enjoy the irresistible clatter of upbeat tracks like “Don’t Let It Get To You.” As for those of you who are partial to melodrama and catharsis, this is for you.
Read Half-Light and weep — Batmanglij makes blissful, bold music for the faint of heart.
You can reach CU Independent arts writer Owen Zoll at owzo0722@colorado.edu
