NEW SOUNDS: Weekly Music Roundup: Grammys, Valerie June, Nubiyan Twist
NEW SOUNDS: Weekly Music Roundup: Grammys, Valerie June, Nubiyan Twist
BY JOHN SCHAEFER
“Although she’s based in Brooklyn, singer Arooj Aftab draws on her Pakistani roots in much of her music, blending the sounds of Sufi devotional songs with Western pop and elements of contemporary minimalism. She’s just put out a song called “Mohabbat,” or “love,” which has both a weightless and timeless quality. It’s our first chance to hear music from her forthcoming LP called Vulture Prince. The band is restrained but starry – the extraordinary producer/multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily, guitarist Gyan Riley, harpist Maeve Gilchrist, and violinist Darian Donovan Thomas are just a few of the musicians who help Aftab cast her sonic spell on the album. Vulture Prince comes out on April 23.“