Vulture Prince by Arooj Aftab

Day 10 of the Twelve Days of Christmas as the Christmas decorations boxes return for a few days from the loft.  More music for our Reference System; in contrast to Ryan Adams this time it is from Pakistan-born, Brooklyn-based Arooj Aftab whose album Vulture Prince (Qobuz 24-bit, 96kHz) is such a haunting and beautiful piece of music.  It has dominated this reviewer’s listening for the last couple of years based on the quality of the recording and the ability to offer depth in a huge soundstage.  As a reviewer, having the opportunity to clearly pick out instruments on the stage and how they are affected by different HiFi components is key to the listening process.

Note that Last Night has appeared recently in the HF&MS Qobuz Bluesound Node X playlist not to mention the HF&MS Meze Elite headphones playlist. It is also on the HF&MS Atlas Hyper USB playlist. This is a playlist in use frequently, owing to its diversity (Nickleback, Art Blakey and Jesus and Mary Chain, for example) as well as its quality, each track has something different for a reviewer.

These playlists remind us of the beauty of music, something that Andy Summers of the Police refers to constantly in his brilliant Memoir One Train Later.  These playlists reflect the joy of reviewing but always they must retain a degree of consistency in their diversity so that themes from certain tracks can be explored; as a specific example, you can only hear the snare rattling in Aftab’s Last Night as the track takes off if there is enough resolution in the system you are reviewing.

One Train Later

I note further other female vocal tracks in these playlists.  Lana Del Rey had an exceptional 2023 with Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard? The detail in this album is exceptional for reviewers with the track A&W a clear ‘weird’ highlight. Trevor Horn/Lady Blackbird’s Slave to Rhythm has also been on repeat in the listening room.  And speaking of brilliant voices, if you have not heard RAYE yet, you need to.  RAYE is a “Back to Black” album away from sheer greatness.  If you have not seen or heard her 21st Century Symphony at the Royal Albert Hall on the iPlayer or Qobuz, do yourself a favour and book in tonight for a viewing, it is absolutely spectacular.

It is nearly the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas, best wishes for 2024.

Reference System – Day 1 – Chord Electronics 2go with the 2yu network bridge.

Reference System – Day 2 – iFi Audio Pro iDSD DAC.

Reference System – Day 3 – Atlas Cables Mavros USB A-B cable with their Grun earthing system

Reference System – Day 4 – Moor Amps Angel-Preamplifier

Reference System – Day 5 – Moor Amps Angel 6 Power amplifier

Reference System – Day 6 – Michell GyroDec SE

Reference System – Day 7 – Titan 505 loudspeakers

Reference System – Day 8 – Atlas Mavros loudspeaker cable

Reference System – Day 9 – Gold, Ryan Adams