Half-Light | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 15, 2017 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 52:08 | |||
Label | Nonesuch | |||
Producer |
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Rostam chronology | ||||
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Singles from Half-Light | ||||
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.3/10 [7] |
Metacritic | 77/100 [8] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [9] |
The A.V. Club | B+ [10] |
Consequence of Sound | B+ [11] |
Exclaim! | 7/10 [12] |
NME | [13] |
Paste | 7.4/10 [14] |
Pitchfork | 7.2/10 [15] |
Q | [8] |
Rolling Stone | [16] |
Uncut | 6/10 [8] |
Half-Light is the debut solo studio album by American musician Rostam, released on September 15, 2017. [17] The album peaked at #6 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, [18] and received generally favorable reviews. [19]
Half-Light was released a year after his departure from his acclaimed indie-pop band, Vampire Weekend, [20] and his successful collaboration with the former The Walkmen singer, Hamilton Leithauser, I Had a Dream That You Were Mine . The album contains several tracks that were written many years before the release of Half-Light, with one song being written ten years prior to the album's release. [21]
All tracks written and produced by Rostam Batmanglij, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Additional production | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Sumer" | Ariel Rechtshaid | 3:36 | |
2. | "Bike Dream" | Rechtshaid | 3:22 | |
3. | "Half-Light" (featuring Kelly Zutrau) |
| 3:31 | |
4. | "Thatch Snow" | 3:04 | ||
5. | "Wood" | 5:42 | ||
6. | "Never Going to Catch Me" | 3:10 | ||
7. | "Don't Let It Get to You" | 5:18 | ||
8. | "I Will See You Again" | 1:16 | ||
9. | "Hold You" (featuring Angel Deradoorian) |
| Francis Farewell Starlite | 2:34 |
10. | "When" | Rechtshaid | 3:26 | |
11. | "Rudy" | Rechtshaid | 3:53 | |
12. | "Warning Intruders" | Rechtshaid | 3:31 | |
13. | "EOS" | 3:08 | ||
14. | "Gwan" |
| 4:46 | |
15. | "Don't Let It Get to You" (Reprise) |
| 2:01 | |
Total length: | 52:08 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
16. | "Welcoming the Betrayers" | 2:35 |
17. | "Another Room" | 3:28 |
18. | "Oh You've Got To" | 3:07 |
19. | "Arc" | 1:20 |
Total length: | 62:38 |
|
|
Chart (2017) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [23] | 6 |
Vampire Weekend is an American rock band formed in New York City in 2006 and currently signed to Columbia Records. The band was formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Ezra Koenig, multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, drummer Chris Tomson, and bassist Chris Baio. Batmanglij departed the group in early 2016 but has continued to occasionally contribute to subsequent albums as a songwriter, producer, and musician.
Vampire Weekend is the debut studio album by American rock band Vampire Weekend, released on January 29, 2008 by XL Recordings. The album was produced by band member Rostam Batmanglij, with mixing assistance from Jeff Curtin and Shane Stoneback. Released after a year of building internet buzz, the album showcased the band's unique hybrid of indie pop, chamber music, and Afropop influences.
"A-Punk" is a song by indie rock band Vampire Weekend, released on February 28, 2008, as the second single from their 2008 self-titled debut album. The band made their network television debut by performing "A-Punk" on the Late Show with David Letterman.
Ra Ra Riot is an American indie rock band consisting of vocalist Wes Miles, bassist Mathieu Santos, guitarist Milo Bonacci, violinist Rebecca Zeller and drummer Kenny Bernard.
Contra is the second studio album by the American rock band Vampire Weekend, produced by band member Rostam Batmanglij and released in January 2010 on XL Recordings. It was preceded by the 2009 singles "Horchata" and "Cousins."
"Cousins" is the first single from Vampire Weekend's second album Contra. It was recorded by the band in Mexico City and debuted a few days later in Guadalajara. The single was released November 17, 2009 and a 7" was released December 15, 2009.
Rostam Batmanglij, known mononymously as Rostam, is an American record producer, musician, singer, songwriter, and composer. He was a founding member of the band Vampire Weekend, whose first three albums he produced. He has been described by Stereogum as one of the greatest pop and indie-rock producers of his generation. Rostam also works as a solo artist and is a member of electro-soul group Discovery. He produced his first number-one album, Vampire Weekend's Contra, when he was 27 years old.
"Holiday" is a song by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend. It was released as the third single from their album Contra. The video premiered on MTV.com on May 27, 2010. The song was featured in Christmas-themed television advertisements for Tommy Hilfiger and Honda during the 2010 holiday season.
"White Sky" is the fourth single from Vampire Weekend's second album Contra. The single release features three remixes of the song by Basement Jaxx. It is also the first song to be written on Contra, dating back before their debut album was released.
Relax is the only studio album by American hip hop trio Das Racist. It was released by Greedhead Music on September 13, 2011. It peaked at number 111 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Modern Vampires of the City is the third studio album by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend, released on May 14, 2013, by XL Recordings. The group began to write songs for the album during soundchecks on the supporting concert tour for their previous album, 2010's Contra. After a period in which each member explored individual musical projects, they regrouped and continued working on Modern Vampires of the City in 2011. With no deadline in mind, the band brought in an outside record producer for the first time, Ariel Rechtshaid, to record the album.
"Diane Young" is a song by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend, taken from their third studio album Modern Vampires of the City. It was released as the lead single from the album on March 19, 2013. A promotional video of the single, which features two Saab 900s burning throughout the duration of the song, was uploaded to Vevo and YouTube on March 18, 2013. The official video to the single was uploaded on June 3, 2013.
"Horchata" is a song by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend. Written by the members of the band and produced by band member Rostam Batmanglij, the song was released as the lead single from their second album Contra on October 5, 2009 via XL Recordings. The single was initially released as a free download on the band's web site. The term "horchata" refers to a traditional beverage often made of ground almonds, sesame seeds, or rice.
James Hamilton Leithauser is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is the lead vocalist of the American indie rock band The Walkmen, with whom he wrote and recorded seven studio albums from 2000 to 2014. Prior to The Walkmen's formation, Leithauser and bass guitarist and organist, Peter Matthew Bauer, were both members of The Recoys. Leithauser was born and raised in Washington, DC, and has lived in New York City since the 1990s.
"Step" is a song by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend. Written and composed by band members Ezra Koenig and Rostam Batmanglij and produced by Ariel Rechtshaid and Batmanglij, the song was released as the fourth and final single from the band's third studio album Modern Vampires of the City. The song was inspired by American hip hop group Souls of Mischief's song "Step to My Girl".
"Ivy" is a song by American R&B singer Frank Ocean, released as a part of his 2016 studio album Blonde. The minimalistic guitar-driven song embodies indie rock, avant-R&B and guitar pop, with its nostalgic lyrics exploring memories of a lost love. Ocean wrote the song with frequent collaborator Malay Ho, and produced it with Om'Mas Keith and former Vampire Weekend multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, the latter of whom also arranged the track. Guitars on the track are performed by a musician credited as Fish. The track appeared on multiple year-end lists, with some critics describing it as amongst Ocean's best work, and charted at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, despite not being released as a single.
I Had a Dream That You Were Mine is a collaborative studio album by Hamilton Leithauser, the former frontman of The Walkmen, and Rostam, the multi-instrumentalist and former producer of Vampire Weekend. It was released on September 23, 2016 on Glassnote Records, and preceded by the singles "A 1000 Times", "In a Black Out" and "When the Truth Is..."
Father of the Bride is the fourth studio album by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend. It was released on May 3, 2019, by Columbia Records, as their first album on a major label.
Changephobia is the third full-length solo album by American indie rock musician Rostam Batmanglij. The album has received positive reception from critics and appeared on several best-of lists for the year. It was followed by two volumes of remixes later in the year.
Only God Was Above Us is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend, released on April 5, 2024, through Columbia Records. It marks the third collaboration between the band and their longtime producer Ariel Rechtshaid. It is also the first album recorded by the band as a trio of vocalist-guitarist Ezra Koenig, bassist Chris Baio and drummer Chris Tomson after the 2016 departure of keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij; 2019's Father of the Bride, the first post-Batmanglij Vampire Weekend album, was created and promoted by Koenig as a solo project with Baio and Tomson only involved for the album's tours. It received universal acclaim from music critics.