Lists
January: 18 albums you need to hear this month
Sven Väth, Fever Ray, Nabihah Iqbal, Björk and more
Aria Rostami 'Numb Years' (Inanimate)
Aria Rostami is a super-talented producer from San Francisco who now lives in New York and calls himself “the Sarah McLachlan of boxing”. His sound is light and delicate (think Kieran Hebden-ish techno with glacial ambient soundscapes), and he has a great way with words, too. ‘Where She Untied Warm Glowing Arms’ is ice-cool Aphex-style bliss, while ‘And I Forgot Naked Subtle Pathways’ seems as inspired by Japanese gardens as it is by his previous work on labels such as Spring Theory, Glacial Movements and Dark Entries. He’s a heavy thinker (this LP was made under extreme, and extremely low-paid, circumstances), and ‘Numb Years’ reflects that with its sublime, soul-flecked depth. Ralph Moore
7/10
