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Rostam Unveils “American Stories,” Merging Persian and American Sounds

5/16/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Rostam Batmanglij released the album “American Stories,” blending American and Persian music.
The opening track “Like a Spark” mixes a blues riff on nylon-string guitar with a saz.
Batmanglij added pedal steel, citing its Hawaiian origin and Southern ties, to merge the two sounds.
“Hardy” features Clairo and samples Georges Delerue’s “Chorale” from the 1973 film “Day for Night,” performed by Hugh Wolff and the London Sinfonietta.

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Story summary

Rostam Batmanglij released the album “American Stories,” blending American and Persian music.
The opening track “Like a Spark” mixes a blues riff on nylon-string guitar with a saz.
Batmanglij added pedal steel, citing its Hawaiian origin and Southern ties, to merge the two sounds.
“Hardy” features Clairo and samples Georges Delerue’s “Chorale” from the 1973 film “Day for Night,” performed by Hugh Wolff and the London Sinfonietta.