Naba / Melo

On the duo’s second official full-­length proper, their art of creating complex sonic worlds truly shines. The album, appropriately titled “Walking Through”, indeed resembles a soundtrack for a day­long exploration of an imaginary national park in all its diversity – forest, rivers and creeks, fields and meadows, abandoned industrial zone and even a visit to a busy trade fair. Richly textural, organically synthetic, generously spiced by multilayered field recordings, with occasional live instrumentation (cellos and flutes) and traces of vocals, it’s a true cinematic feast for the ears and imagination. Subtle electronic pulses and minimalistic percussive work are delicately brought in and out to keep the listener awake; synth pads are delicate and lulling, but never pretty or overwhelmingly grandiose. The mood, the density of sonic fibre and the light/darkness ratio is constantly changing, making the 84 minute­ long trip a consistent but never a dull listen – sometimes welcoming, sometimes challenging – rounded off with two fantastic long­form highlights: