Naima Bock - Below A Massive Dark Land Review

Naima Bock’s Below A Massive Dark Land delivers a soul-nourishing, time-transcending journey that solidifies it as one of the year’s best albums.

Touring had lost its magic for Naima Bock, who you might know from her previous band ‘Goat Girl’. Leaving the band and sorting a musical output of her own resulted in the luscious debut album ‘Giant Palm’. Inspired by connection, in part written on the road and being fed from live performances with a new team of collaborators on board, ‘Below A Massive Dark Land’ is birthed from writing in solitude, evolving into a collaborative effort with Naomi’s voice at the helm. The result is a warming collection of songs that shows a different side to the nomadic artist.

‘Gentle’ is a beast of an opening track that changes tack at every corner, with its building army of instruments (flute, saxophone, guitar). An intricate acoustic guitar line merges into a melancholic strum as the saxophone re-emerges, for the pensive track about an unbalanced relationship. ‘Well, you want me to be gentle, fragile/You want me to stay young’.For fans of Naima, a welcome return to hallmarks of her sonics with inclusion of a chorus of voices. The striking affair that is ‘My Sweet Body’ whilst it’s Naima at her most minimal, still gives room for expansion through the violin and a muted synth line that runs throughout the track. The process of an ageing body has never sounded so sweet despite its obvious decline then in the voice of Naima, repeating ‘My Sweet Body crumbles so carefully’. The theme of ageing continues on the track ‘Age’, inspired by an interaction with an elder whose romanticisation of the past shrouds well intentioned beliefs.  ‘And in your mind your country never looked the same’. What stands out is a collective spirit, although an intimate affair, Naima has translated the live experience with all the players involved into the album. The clapping in the song ‘Takes One’ is a perfect example of this, all concepts of Naima yet articulated through people outside of herself. ‘Star’ is a quiet, simply delightful ending to a coordinated experience.

This is an album that broaches the passage of time within its sweet contentions and collective harmonies, as well as complex and meticulously curated arrangements that sees the oeuvre of Naima Bock’s abundant talent open wider. ‘Below A Massive Dark Land’ is a transportive experience that nourishes the soul, which easily places this feat down as one of the best records of the year.