“Narrowing anything down to 10 is difficult, doing this with albums is very very difficult!,” Naima Bock, whose second solo album is out this week, says of this list of 10 influential albums. “I decided instead of doing ‘my favourites’ I’d say ‘foundation’ in the sense that these records feel like bedrocks from which I write songs as well as the general foundations of my life as a person. I come back to these albums all the time, to feel inspired, to feel grounded, I guess to feel a sense of home when that doesn’t exist in my direct reality.”
Naima’s list of “foundation” albums includes records by Elliott Smith, Palace Music, Baden Powell & Vinicius de Moraes, Alabaster de Plume, and more. Check out her list and commentary below.
Below a Massive Dark Land is out Friday, September 27 via Sub Pop and she’s just shared the final pre-release track, “Moving.” Listen to that below.
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Naima Bock – 10 albums that are a foundation for me (in no order, it was very hard to choose)
Lost Wisdom – Mount Eerie with Julie Doiron & Fred Squire
I found this album only a year ago but it has become one of the most important albums I’ve heard. The sparcity, the peace! Everything about how this record sounds, to me, is perfect. Not only the songwriting but the quality of every instrument and voice. When more instruments are added it feels necessary and considered, when this isn’t the case, they aren’t there. It’s funny how this simple decision; not to record unnecessary instrumentation, is something so many musicians (myself included) can’t seem to action.
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Viva Last Blues – Palace Music
Great album, not sure how much I have to say about it other than I love it a lot. It was my first introduction to the Will Oldham world, captivated me from first listen of “New Partner.” I started listening to this album in autumn, it holds a very particular and warm place in my heart.
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Os Afro-sambas – Baden Powell & Vinicius de Moraes
My mum and dad played me this a lot when I was a little kid, I grew up with it and as I became more interested in music and then latterly more interested in lyrics I really fell in love with this album, I fell in love with how it made me feel; warm and fuzzy.
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Ida Con Snock – Michael Hurley
The song “Wildgeeses” on this record was my starting point. I’d listened to a lot of Michael Hurley before I got to Ida Con Snock, especially his first album. My friend Will Fortna (from the band Mildred) played me this song and we both quickly agreed it was maybe the best song we’d ever heard, then going on to cover it (a lot). That was six years ago and the sentiment still holds!
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Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach Sings – Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach
My manager Josh Cohen (Memorials of Distinction) recommended this album to me, I couldn’t listen to anything else for months after (might be a hyperbole but I did listen to this mostly). Once I start listening to spiritual/ religious music, everything else seems to pale in comparison, everything else seems to feel cheaper.
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Where the Humans Eat – Willy Mason
I love this record, I heard it when I was 17 and working at a coffee shop. My boyfriend at the time played me one of songs from it and it’s remained an album I come back to over and over again. I remember it particularly fondly because it helped me get through a really difficult day of the Camino de Santiago that I was doing alone for three weeks when I was 18.
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Either/Or – Elliott Smith
What can I say! Everyone knows what they know and love about Elliott Smith, I hate to join the masses on this being my favourite of his albums but it just is. From a Basement on a Hill would be my second favourite.
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Construção – Chico Buarque
This album, similarly to Baden Powell’s record (earlier mentioned) had been played throughout my childhood and adolescence, so it stuck with me. The arrangements and the lyrics are ridiculously good, once you start really looking at the details of this record, each song reveals its own delicately crafted world.
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To Cy and Lee – Alabaster de Plume
I listened to this in the autumn of 2020 just after I recorded my first album. (Mostly) instrumental albums give me the same feeling that spiritual or religious music does when it comes to other songs paling in comparison. Beautiful record.
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The Blue Trees – Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci
The best band!
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Naima has a lot of touring ahead for her new album, including a Brooklyn show at Union Pool on October 25 with Frances Chang.
Naima Bock 2024 Tour Dates
Thu. Sep 26th – Portsmouth, UK – Pie & Vinyl (instore)
Mon. Sep 30th – London, UK – Rough Trade West (instore)
Sat. 19th Oct – Birmingham, UK – Future Days Festival*
Mon. Oct. 21 – Boston, MA – Warehouse X1
Wed. Oct 23 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church Side Chapel
Fri. Oct. 25 – Brooklyn, NY – Union Pool
Sat. Oct. 26 – Washington, DC – Rhizome
Wed. Nov. 06 – London, UK – St. Pancras Old Church +
Thu. Nov. 07 – Bristol, UK – Jam Jar *
Fri. Nov. 08 – Liverpool, UK – Leaf *
Sat. Nov. 09 – Newcastle, UK – Cumberland Arms *
Sun. Nov. 10 – Glasgow, UK – McChuills *
Tue. Nov. 12 – Leeds, UK – Hyde Park Book Club *
Wed. Nov. 13 – Manchester, UK – Deaf Institute *
Thu. Nov. 14 – Cambridge, UK – Storey’s Field Centre *
Sat. Nov. 16 – Falmouth, UK – The Cornish Bank *
Sun. Nov. 17 – Frome, UK – The Tree House *
Mon. Nov. 18 – Exeter, UK – Cavern Club *
Wed. Nov. 20 – Ipswich, UK – St Stephens Church *
Thu. Nov. 21 – London, UK – The Ivy House *
Tue. Dec. 03 – Lille, FR – L ‘Aéronef *
Wed. Dec. 04 – Brugge, BE – Cactus Café *
Fri. Dec. 06 – Haldern, DE – Pop Bar *
Sat. Dec. 07 – Hamburg, DE – Nachstasyl *
Sun. Dec. 08 – Berlin, DE – Neu Zunkunft *
Tue. Dec. 10 – Cologne, DE – Subway *
Wed. Dec. 11 – Amsterdam, NL – Paradiso *
Thu. Dec. 12 – Brussels, BE – Botanique *
Fri. Dec. 13 – Paris, FR – La Boule Noire *
* Full band show
+ Duo with Oliver Hamilton