Rostam Batmanglij, aka Rostam of Vampire Weekend fame, has been an artist a LOT of people have been very excited to hear a debut album from. He always had a big role in Vampire Weekend, and since leaving I feel like he's gotten more and more mysterious. He's done some production work here and there, and there was that album he did last year with Hamilton Leithauser which I actually liked quite a bit. But outside of that, Rostam's been quiet. And that's weird because some of the singles here were dropped almost 6 years ago. But here we are, with Rostam's debut album upon us. To be honest, these singles have been a mixed bag for me, with some sounding like Vampire Weekend leftovers while others sounded more like the Vibrant Indie Pop I was dying to hear Rostam create. Let's talk about this album!
This album starts off with “Sumer”, a very whimsical intro. To be honest, I’m surprised by just how vibrant and bouncy this is. The carolers in the background give this a wonderful feeling of nostalgia and good times. But I think the main story here is just how dreamy this track is. It’s something Rostam teased a little with his work with Hamilton Leithauser last year. But this track is so damn lush and deep sounding. Not to mention, Rostam’s vocals haven’t sounded better, at all. And while I do sort of wish I heard the rest of Vampire Weekend backing him, this is a REALLY solid intro. I love just how MUCH is happening here, with all of these very colorful instrumentals blasting by constantly. I don’t have anything bad to say about “Sumer”. Not to mention, that groove that comes in by way of the more electronic sounds in the last 30 seconds in totally brilliant. Then we have “Bike Dream” which is simply breathtaking. The very sweet and dreamy atmosphere that has been built so far is only made stronger by these pulsating instrumentals. But since I know just how long Rostam has been working on this, it’s really nice hearing how much is going on here. The very dream-like vibe really ends up selling this for me to be honest, as Rostam blends real-life experiences with some more surreal imagery. However, there are a few moments here where I feel like Rostam isn’t nearly as confident with his vocals, which isn’t even that noticeable by just how delicate this track sounds. But at the end of the day, “Bike Dream” is just a really fantastic single and sound for Rostam. Sadly though, Rostam starts to lose focus with “Half-Light” featuring Kelly Zutrau. This track is exactly what I didn’t want to hear from Rostam. I don’t know why, but this ballad really doesn’t click with me at all. There are some very tender moments, and it’s certainly nice to hear Rostam in this environment. But at the end of the day, this track is insanely flat. There’s nothing about this that tells me it’s a Rostam track. On the contrary, this sounds like it could be any old male Singer/Songwriter. However, I will give this track this: I do like some of the more electronic instrumentals that pop in about halfway through. But of all of the sounds Rostam has hit us with so far, this has hit me the least. “Thatch Snow” however brings us quickly back in the sort of elegant direction that I really wanted to hear from Rostam. It’s the sound that brings me right back to the early days of listening to Vampire Weekend. But I don’t know, I feel like this one is a little too safe for my liking. This track has a grand atmosphere, and some of Rostam’s vocals are certainly top notch. But at the same time, I feel like this was just a recycled Vampire Weekend B-Side that didn’t make the cut on any of their albums. So yes, the thought was certainly there with this one, and there are pretty moments, but this one’s too safe for me. “Wood” on the other hand, has almost all the qualities that I just listed but comes off a thousand times more interesting. I love the very spiritual sound to this, as well as a lot of the elements of all sorts of different styles of World music. The drums are certainly groovy, the strings are very elegant, and Rostam sounds right in his element. I feel like in every way, this is what he was going for on the last track or so. But this is just so much more interesting. His performance on “Wood” is just so tender and sweet, and I love so many of his very visual lyrics. This track ends up being stunning from start to finish, and while at first, I didn’t think it justified its over 5-minute run-time, I certainly don’t mind it. As a matter of fact, I think the joyous extended jam in the closing minutes is actually brilliant.
Now, “Never Going To Catch Me” is a little weird for me. Like, I certainly salute Rostam on this one for bringing in a lot of different sounds for a much more abstract approach. But half of the time on this one, it really doesn't come off flattering at all. These instrumentals, while they’re supposed to be sort of left-field, they just end up coming off thrown together hastily. His vocals don’t even seem like they’re nearly as into this one. And while elements of “Never Going To Catch Me” are nice, like those strings int he background which seems to be holding this track together, this one is too sloppy for my liking. On the other hand, “Don’t Let It Get To You” is the track that I seriously needed to hear. This track is so much more wild and unhinged sounding, and instrumentally it’s the most colorful thing here by far. Not to mention, those more upbeat and thunderous drums are a really nice touch. In every way, I really needed to hear a more upbeat track. But Rostam really holds his own wonderfully in this environment. It still comes off very dreamlike and nostalgic, which is a really nice feeling. And as always, the clash of all of these genres of music is just really well done, between the very elegant Worldbeat inspired instrumentals to the much more abrasive electronic elements. This one all around really did Rostam all the favors int he world. Now, so far I have been pretty critical of Rostam’s softer tunes here. But “I Will See You Again” is easily the most flooring ballad here, even though it’s barely a minute long. Just hearing him among this very bare atmosphere, with this very touching statement and sincere performance is amazing. It’s something that I had a feeling he could pull off, but I needed to hear it to believe it. Even when “I Will See You Again” picks up into a straight folk jam in the last 20 seconds or so, it’s so well done. Now, one of the tracks I was most interested in hearing was “Hold You” featuring Angel Deradoorian. And I’mm not really too shocked to say, it’s a pretty incredible tune. Rostam out of nowhere breaks out his best James Blake impression, but it’s incredible. This one overall has such a cool Alternative R&B flair that works so well with Rostam’s style. It ends up adding even more to this already very dreamy atmosphere. Not to mention, Angel sounds just as brilliant as ever. Like, the both of them work so well in this Alternative R&B direction. Rostam with that Auto-Tune bizarrely sounds so cool as well. Overall, “Hold You” is easily a standout for me, and I hope we hear more of this sound from Rostam down the road. Up next is “When” which on the other hand, brings in some strong grooves and throws us right back into the world of more Worldbeat inspired material. But just like some of the earlier tracks, I can’t help but feel like this is just Vampire Weekend leftovers. There are some certainly nice tones here and there, and Rostam sounds fine. But my God, this is a substance wasteland. And don’t even get me started on those vocal effects, which have quickly gone from fresh and interesting to pathetic.
“Rudy” brings us back to the breezy and low-key vibes that we got earlier. But I feel like this one is just so jolly and infectious that I can’t hate this. This is easily one of the catchiest tunes on the album. Instrumentally, it’s nothing too wild and exciting. But Rostam sounds’s seriously at home among this sunny, sort of tropical atmosphere. It’s sweet and endearing, and at the end of the day, this is truly the sound Rostam should be going for. Not to mention, some of these horns add just enough bounce and life to “Rudy”. And while I have issues with a lot of what is presented here, this album overall has been VERY colorful, and I can’t take that away from Rostam. But then I hear “Warning Intruders”, and all I can think about is how this really isn't a good sound for Rostam at all. This has been a very breezy album, that’s for sure. But this one is a little too dreamy for my liking. Plus, all of these bizarre vocal effects, who the hell thought they were a good idea? “Warning Intruders” ends up being seriously ugly and a poor attempt at a more experimental tune. I do like some of Rostam’s later Auto-Tuned vocals. But I just can’t shake just how cluttered this track sounds, which is something I really didn’t think I would have to say here. On the other hand, “EOS” instantly is super ear-catching with those group vocals int he background, pounding drums, and Rostam’s very commanding performance. While this one is certainly one of the more quiet tracks once again, it’s much more stunning and eye-opening. Not to mention, as far as an atmosphere goes this continues to be stunning, and it only gets bigger and better as this one rolls one. For a few quiet minutes, I really think Rostam knocked it out of the park. “Gwan” is pretty sweet right off the bat as well. When Rostam really gets this very elegant and refined Indie Pop sound down, he really ends up nailing it. I love how busy the strings are coming off in between Rostam’s very sweet and endearing vocal performance. Not, a lot of this album sadly is a bit one-dimensional. But I wouldn’t say that’s necessarily a bad thing. However, “Gwan” does have some really nice surprises like those pounding drums that make for some really great buildup. But just when I’m done praising “Gwan” I have to ask; Why the hell does this track have to be 5 minutes long? This track easily could have been 3 minutes and had just as much of an impact on me. Yes, the last 2 minutes contains plenty of very sweet and beautiful moments. But this could have been just as enjoyable and half its length. This album ends off with “Don’t Let It Get To You (Reprise)”, and I swear this is the year of the unnecessary reprise as an ending track. It’s a shame because the original version of this was easily a highlight of the album for me. But this reprise is so lifeless. And while Rostam really does sound nice, everything else about this track is flat. The instrumental is easily the most boring here, and the dreamy atmosphere gets so big it practically engulfs Rostam. What an uneventful finale.
Rating: 7.3/10
Give A Listen To: “Sumer”, “Bike Dream”, “Don’t Let It Get To You”, “Hold You”
Genre: Art Pop / Indie Pop
If You Dig This, Check Out: Vampire Weekend "Modern Vampires Of The City.....Man that's all I've got here guys, Rostam's in his own little world
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