The Guardian ranks Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s Chain of Light as top album of 2024
As 2024 draws to a close, The Guardian revealed its list of the year’s best albums, celebrating an eclectic array of global sounds.
At the heart of this celebration is a poignant moment for Pakistani music: the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s posthumous album, Chain of Light, claimed the No. 1 spot, while Arooj Aftab secured the sixth spot with her Grammy-nominated album, Night Reign.
Decades after his passing, Khan remains an immortal voice in music. His posthumous release, Chain of Light, is a masterful compilation of four unreleased recordings from 1990 when Nusrat was on the brink of international stardom.
The album delivered electrifying performances of qawwali standards like ‘Ya Allah Ya Rehman’ and the never-before-heard ‘Ya Gaus Ya Meeran’. The latter, a nine-minute epic, navigates complex rhythms and soaring improvisations, reminding listeners of Nusrat’s unmatched ability to transcend the spiritual and the musical.
The Guardian lauded the album as “a remarkable discovery that cements Khan’s status as one of music’s great voices.”
Aftab, known for her evocative blend of classical South Asian traditions and contemporary minimalism, continues her meteoric rise with Night Reign, the album is an exploration of love, loss, and the night.
The album “pairs the husky warmth of Aftab’s voice with mercurial and moody soundscapes,” the publication said. A follow-up to her 2021 Vulture Prince, Aftab’s Night Reign is a nine-song collection focused on the “magic and mystery of the late-night hours and all that can happen after dark.”
The rest of The Guardian’s Top 10 is a kaleidoscope of diverse sounds and groundbreaking artistry, from Mongolian vocal experiments to lo-fi Filipino dance beats and intergenerational collaborations.
The list includes Poeji’s Nant, DJ Love’s Budots World (Reloaded), Indian classical vocalist Ganavya’s Daughter of a Temple, Malcolm Jiyane Tree-O’s True Story, Lord Spikeheart’s The Adept, Fabiano do Nascimento, Sam Gendel’s The Room, and Milton Nascimento and Esperanza Spalding’s Milton + Esperanza.
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