Releasing album lets producer enjoy his moment in spotlight
Performing on Wednesday at Ace of Cups: Rostam Batmanglij
In their excitement to become the next Jimi Hendrix, most kids who pick up the guitar can barely sit still long enough to learn how to transition from a C chord to a D chord.
Rostam Batmanglij, on the other hand, could hardly suppress his enthusiasm for chord construction long enough to learn the instrument.
“I liked music theory so much that at one point I told my guitar teacher to stop teaching me guitar and to teach me theory,” he said.
His obsession with music’s building blocks spun into a gig as one of the industry’s most in-demand producers, with credits for artists such as Carly Rae Jepsen, Frank Ocean and Solange.
Not to mention producing each of three albums for scholastic pop band Vampire Weekend, in which he also played guitar and sang backing vocals before exiting in 2016.
Finally, after a decade behind the scenes, Batmanglij found time to work on a project all his own.
In September, he released “Half-Light,” a bright album featuring lush Vampire Weekend strings beneath personal lyrics reminiscent of confessional R&B artist Ocean. Who: Rostam Where: Ace of Cups, 2619 N. High St. Contact: 614-262-6001, www.aceofcupsbar.com Doors open: 7 p.m. Wednesday Tickets: $13, or $15 day of show; $3 surcharge for age 20 and younger
He’ll perform “Half-Light” Wednesday at Ace of Cups.
The son of Iranian immigrants — his parents run a publishing company for Persian literature, and Batmanglij designs some of the book covers — Batmanglij incorporates Persian melodies and the tabla drum on the sleepy track “Wood.”
Elsewhere, he dips into the songwriting structure of Lou Reed and the classical music he studied while an undergrad at Columbia University in New York.
Supporting everything is an intuitive understanding of his musical preferences.
“I think studying music, it gives you this opportunity to unlock anything that you hear, to understand it more deeply,” he said. “Music theory to me is understanding why you like what you like, whether it’s a certain harmony or rhythm or melody.”
Something of a restless soul, Batmanglij, 34, moved from New York City to Los Angeles four years ago in search of a studio with brighter light.
He also teamed up with former Walkmen frontman Hamilton Leithauser in 2016 for the dreamy indie-pop album “I Had a Dream That You Were Mine,” although he opted out of touring. (It wasn’t Batmanglij’s first collaboration. He also made an album with Ra Ra Riot vocalist Wesley Miles in 2009.)
He is a generous musician, the kind who would rather ask friends for input than maintain complete control.
“I would find that if something’s going to come out right, it’s got to be a little bit of meeting of the minds,” he said.
Batmanglij chased a similar connection when transitioning from recording “Half-Light” to taking it to live audiences.
His phone and computer are his recording instruments of choice, whether singing a line or two into the former or meticulously layering synthesizers and guitar on the latter.
But on the road, he digs into his traditional education, performing only with a string quartet and percussionist.
“Some people who see me play say, ‘I’m so glad you brought the strings,’ and the truth is I can’t perform without the strings. That is my live show,” he said.
He’s experimented with the format since his days at Columbia, when he wrote one-off chamber music pieces that he sang while playing classical guitar.
“Half-Light” marks the first time he’s been the consistent force at the front, however, and Batmanglij admits the role requires greater responsibility.
In practical matters, particularly.
“There’s certain things you can’t eat when you’re on tour,” he said. “You have to be aware of your sleep. You have to brush your teeth ... because if you let your vocal health slip a little bit, it can keep slipping and it can get bad.”
That level of calculation extends to Batmanglij’s reluctance to reveal too many details about his projects before they’re released.
“As a producer, people often ask me what I’m working on, and I usually just have to lie,” he said. "I don’t talk about upcoming projects.”
He believes it’s up to the artist to have first dibs on public discussion of an album, but even in his own work the musician tends to weigh his words carefully.
“I think in some ways it is important to have a space that’s not completely available,” he said. “That kind of is what lets you make your art.”