Karima Walker – Waking the Dreaming Body
Walker’s 2016 debut album, ‘Hands in Our Names’, established her sound with a unique blend of acoustic guitar, droning synths, and field recordings, while her delicate vocals flow over the top. Originally a cassette-only release, the project built up a cult following and was given a second wave of attention after being featured on James Acaster’s Perfect Sounds podcast in 2020. Walker’s small yet dedicated fanbase were eager to see what was on the horizon, but how would her already surreal sound have evolved after a year of isolation, confusion, and fear?
The opening track, ‘Reconstellated’, lays the foundations for what’s to come. Subtle synths merge with quiet acoustic chords while Walker’s wispy vocals elevate the atmosphere. The introductory lyrics: “Sonoran sky plays a movie, draw a line to the stars inside of me” recall the kind of natural imagery that was present throughout ‘Hands in Our Names’. Shifting the sound slightly, ‘Softer’ begins as a more traditional folk song with plucky guitar notes and a catchier vocal delivery. But, as is expected from a Karima Walker track, it’s not long before these give way to glitchy synths and wonderfully creepy layered vocals.
‘Interlude’ offers some pause with the first of three ambient tracks on the album. Its cut-up synths display a relaxing yet eerie experience that wouldn’t be out of place on Brian Eno’s ‘Apollo’ album.
‘Windows I’ begins with a distant piano melody and Walker’s signature gentle vocals, with lyrics such as: “Window in my room, can’t compare, to being out there” focusing much more on the feelings of confinement and longing that quarantine can bring. The track ends with a lengthy and strangely immersive field recording section, before flowing into ‘Window II’, which brings with it a surreal and suitably dreamy melody.
‘Horizon, Harbor Resonance’ brings the pace back down with the longest of the album’s ambient tracks. This is a track where you’ll want to close your eyes and soak in its calming atmosphere. As the track’s mix of droning synths and samples comes to an end, the album’s title track recalls a more familiar folk sound. Walker sings “The earth it is shaking she’s taking a breath, while the rest of us hold it” over a soft campfire-esque guitar melody to bring us back to the more relaxing early moments on the album. After which, the album’s closer, ‘For Heddi’, offers a final melancholic ambient passage to lose yourself in.
In keeping with the theme of subconscious exploration, ‘Waking the Dreaming Body’ provides a beautifully hypnotic experience that, despite its surreal nature, explores some highly relatable subject matter. Content in the duality of her music and not afraid to experiment, with this album, Walker has created her best work to date and it will no doubt remain in my consciousness for a long time to come.
Order via Bandcamp: https://karimawalker.bandcamp.com/album/waking-the-dreaming-body
Keeled Scales: https://keeledscales.com/product/waking_the_dreaming_body