Aamer Khan - Play

​Aamer Khan

Play
self-released; 2017

​3.7 out of 5

By Dan Weston

Since the late ‘80s Denmark native Aamer Khan has been writing and performing his own songs. On his latest entitled album entitled Play Khan takes on most of the instrumentation himself besides the drums. He plays rock music through and through. I felt the style of rock he played was pretty broad, spanning multiple decades. That being said you could make an argument for his music being most rooted in ’70s style Bowie rock.

He opens the album with “Find A Way Out” which has a good amount of energy. The song revolves around crunchy guitar, bass, drums and vocals. It’s a basic setup and Khan keeps the recordings free of effects.

​Lyrically, he jumps around talking about a number of different topics but the main topic was quite uplifting and motivating. He sings, “All along I found a way /To escape all things people say / When you’re down when you’re stuck /Keep on trying / You’ll find your way out.

The theme of motivation continues with “Inspiration Walks In.” I really enjoyed the initial guitar riff that opens the song as well as the vocal performance. There is perhaps an ’80s rock vibe on the chorus. That what came to mind the first time I heard it. “Neurotic Me” changes topics. On this song he analyzes some of his own self-neurosis. 

Kahn has more success on garage rock inspired “Once Again” in line with artists like Iggy Pop or The Strokes. It’’s arguably the catchiest song on the album. “I Can Wait” on the other hand has more of a classic rock feel. The guitar parts on this song are also quite notable especially towards the beginning. 

As the album progresses the songwriting is pretty consistent but I thought “In The Loop” and “All I Want Is You” were standouts.

Truth be told Khan is not breaking barriers here and not introducing much that hasn't been heard before. That being said the songwriting and delivery is solid. Any fan of rock/pop songs should give this a shot. Recommended.

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