Rostam: Five Essential Tom Petty Songs
Rostam (photo by Alex John Beck, PR)
First known as a founding member of Vampire Weekend, Rostam Batmanglij has also become a sought-after producer and he's just released an impressive solo debut, called Half-Light. Not only did Batmanglij produce all three of Vampire Weekend’s albums, but over the past year, he released a collaborative album with Hamilton Leithauser of the Walkman (which they showcased in an FUV Live show). He's also put his stamp on projects by Solange, Frank Ocean, and Charli XCX.
It goes without saying that Rostam has an amazing ear, so when we learned that he's a big Tom Petty fan, while recording a forthcoming FUV Live session on the day after Petty's passing on October 2, we asked if he would kindly share his "Five Essential Tom Petty Songs" with us. He did us one better and narrated a guest DJ set for us. (Audio for his set is no longer available, but you can still listen to a Spotify list of his selections below).
His choices include Full Moon Fever's “Free Fallin’,” since he likes the way the choruses and verses play off each other, and “Walls (Circus)” from the soundtrack of the Ed Burns film "She's the One" — as a huge Fleetwood Mac fan, Batmanglij loves that Lindsey Buckingham sings backing vocals on it.
