NEW YORK TIMES: 5 Things to Do This Weekend
NEW YORK TIMES: 5 Things to Do This Weekend
BY SETH COLTER WALLS
“The singer and composer Arooj Aftab can cover a lot of ground in a brief time frame. She might begin a piece by braiding Pakistani classical vocals around a riff that’s reminiscent of American minimalism. Later on, a part for keyboard might suggest the influence of jazz improvisation.
Her new record, “Vulture Prince,” is scheduled to be released on Friday by New Amsterdam Records. It represents a minor departure from 2018’s excellent ‘Siren Islands.’ Whereas that earlier recording was more deeply meditative in nature, ‘Vulture Prince’ finds her hewing closer to the folky fusion heard on ‘Bird Under Water,’ from 2015.
The minimalist influence is still in evidence, though, as on the mellow yet buoyant single ‘Mohabbat.’ And it’s also apparent — even if used for different ends — on the grooving trance number ‘Last Night.’ This prerelease single is the kind of tune you might imagine Aftab and her band being invited to perform on an episode of ‘Twins Peaks.’”