Rostam Batmanglij has been quietly making a name for himself as a killer producer and vocal contributor. Plus, he’s already performed on SNL seven times. While I dig a lot of his own music, he’s also worked on some of my favourite songs over the past few years, including collaborations with Maggie Rogers, HAIM, Francis and the Lights, RAC, Ra Ra Riot, and Charlie XCX.
Have a listen below to see if you also enjoy some of Rostam’s repertoire!
This song combines classic instruments with modern synth elements in a really novel way. It starts more stripped back and progresses to combine both old and modern instrumentals. I also really, really like the stripped back acoustic version that’s recently been released.
This is a masterfully produced song that has endured countless re-listens on my playlist. The song disrupts half-way through to incorporate a deep, harmonic vocalist element that’s held together by deep, resonating bass notes. Really different, really cool.
Rostam contributes vocals to this record. I really like RAC and the joyful tunes he cranks out. This one has accompanied me in many a bedroom dance-party.
Friends – Francis and the Lights
This was my song of the summer a few years ago. You can’t help but carry the hook around in your head for the rest of the day. If you like Bon Iver, well, you’ll like this song – and a lot of Francis and the Lights songs, because they remind me a lot of each other.
While I dig “First Album HAIM” much more than “Second Album HAIM”, this song makes for chill, easy-listening. The song is tied together with smooth tenor sax and echoey harmonies that HAIM is known for. They’ve also joined forces with renowned filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson to make some really interesting music videos, so the video itself is worth a watch.
This song is catchy AF. I think I wore it out over 50 listens in a matter of days. The swelling string undercurrent pushes this song a long, while the drums lay out a nice, even pace throughout.
Kingdom – Charli XCX feat. Simon Le Bon
This one comes from the Lorde-curated Hunger Games soundtrack. While the initial vocal is a little “lighter” than I’m usually into, it really ramps up part way through, particularly when Simon Le Bon’s vocal comes in.
That’s what I’ve got – tell me what choo’ think!
