Arooj Aftab has allowed her journey to bleed into her music almost effortlessly. From the first moment you listen to this singer-songwriter, it is evident that music is part of her pulse. Melodies are a silken fabric on which she glides, invigorating and stimulating the essence of the mood with her lyrics as well. Rich with collaboration, her latest album shows her at the peak of her energy, harnessing a never before seen vibe. This is called Night Reign.
Threading thoughts and melodies
Combining the languages she thinks in, you can experience tracks in Hindi as well as English. Both resonate with a frequency of poetry that doesn’t stem from relatability, but her unique take on it. To actually be a true artist, you need to step out of your own cocoon and see how far into the metamorphosis you have made it. Aey Nehin is the opening single, echoing with soft melodies in the background as she whispers the melodies, like ripples on a pond’s surface. Arooj Aftab is singing what her thoughts were like at the moment she wrote the song, and that is where she reigns supreme. The dive is as refreshing as it is honest, making interlacing melodies to resound with the surfaces of experience and time.
Minimalism-done right
An artist like this is hard to come by, for they are forming connections with the listener in an almost spiritual plane. The colourful chords of Na Gul will welcome you to the song, using a jazz minimalist canvas to bounce the spectrum of moods. Though there is an overlapped melancholy, there is a joy in understanding oneself while writing music, I suppose. It is this positivity that beams upon this song, making it the well tethered anchor it is. James Francies plays on the next song with Arooj Aftab, providing gentle, caressing moulds of ivory for her hauntingly powerful voice. The lyrics are to pay special attention to:
Since you went away the days grow long
And soon I’ll hear old winter’s song
But I miss you most of all, my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall
As you read her write with the honesty of Hemingway and the metaphors of Plath, there is as much to learn as there is to ponder about the music. Arooj Aftab uses her rich and varied background, experiences, heritage and musical learnings to make an album that shows it all. If Taylor Swift’s Midnights were about her thoughts and notes at 3am, Arooj is taking it a notch deeper by making it memories of a dense and complex overture. Her thoughts resonate with the echo of the nocturnal mind, visiting parts of a prelude to what has to come. We might not absorb all of what she is saying, but that is the joy of art. Supposing, that you can.
The fierce journey of experimentation
With Bolo Na, Arooj uses an avant-garde percussion pattern-with some collaboration with friends. Moor Mother and Joel Ross ensure her vocals stand out with the passion she sings them with. You can see with her performance why she is a favourite at the Grammys, and how she carries the essence of her origins. In Saaqi with Vijay Iyer, she uses the energy generated from the stellar composer to try something new.
As her inspirations range from Mirza Ghalib’s poetry to Jeff Buckley’s brand of indie rock, you can never predict exactly where a song might lead. Strings play with the piano moments and fill the spaces of her poetry with splashes of feverous energy. Last Night Reprise brings a fusion jazz number with a passionate display of melody. The bassline contrasts Arooj Aftab’s vocals-zigzagging in a play of styles and wild escapades. As rewarding as her vocals are, it is always intriguing to see how she pairs with other musicians.
Poetry: healing with time
Raat Ki Rani plays with an odd time beat to make a poetic style which is gentle, yet layered. Arooj is known to use minimalism, for her tales carry most of the weight. The slight use of a vocal filter adds a completely new dimension to the kind of song that would otherwise have a late night pub performance feel. Whiskey is like a retrofitting classic number in this album. It is woven extremely well with symphonies that leave the mellow buzz like the drink.
As we reach Zameen, our journey of levitation with Arooj Aftab is over. However, she ensures she leaves you with the spring on the step, spring in the season, an experience to remember. A versatile vocalist, songwriting and experimenter, she is the cure to what soothes the fear of AI taking over music. This cannot be produced even on a whim, these are made from experiences and baked into the very being. Songs that will remain with us forever. Listen to the magical album here and check out the songs here!:
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Self professed metalhead, moderately well read. If the music has soul, it's whole to me. The fact that my bio could have ended on a rhyme and doesn't should tell you a lot about my personality.
