Michelle Qureshi’s new single is called Night of a Thousand Stars. While the single is less than three minutes long, it perfectly captures the magic of a starlit night. The stars are in many ways our connection with the cosmos, witnesses in the night that follow our every step. Qureshi has delivered a positive and thought-provoking single that will make even a cold night warm and memorable. It is also a superb addition to myndstream’s Summer Song Flight compilation that will be released on Friday.
Michelle Qureshi is a composer, multi‐instrumentalist, and classically-trained guitarist. She debuted in 2012 with the album Of Light. Her most recent albums are Silver Chord (2018), Guitar Sojourner (2019), and Within (2021). In my review of Within, I wrote that: “The album is filled the brim with déjà vu moments, so clear and telling that you don’t even have to look at the names of the pieces to understand what they are all about. Michelle Qureshi has delivered a timeless and ambitious release that finds its way to the listener’s heart surprisingly fast.”
Here Michelle Qureshi presents Night of a Thousand Stars:
The piece starts slowly but promising. First, we hear a gentle guitar with Qureshi’s signature sound. Then an ambient synth joins in and almost takes over before both elements continue in beautiful harmony. If I were to explain why this track is so enchanting, I would underline the balance these two very different elements create. It is breathtakingly beautiful, and they complete each other. I’m also amazed by the ending. It fades out so naturally, almost as if the guitar and the synth leave together – hand in hand.
Night of a Thousand Stars demands your attention, even though it is quiet and reflective. The first time I heard it, I had to put it on repeat, wanting to discover its every secret. It is a deeply moving piece of music.
Listening to the track got me thinking about a quote by Paromita Banerjee: ”Sitting under the light of a thousand stars makes me dream…” So very true, even if that starry sky is only in your ears…
If you are new to Michelle Qureshi’s material, you have a lot to look forward to. A great place to start is with her most recent album, Within. Highly recommended!
myndstream’s Summer Song Flight consists of six tracks. Though they are being released separately, they are all part of the same body of work. It offers a radical and refreshing twist on the old album/single perspective. When you get to know the release, you will see that a new way of releasing music takes shape. It is a concept where every track counts even more than before, both as a part and a whole.
