MARLON WILLIAMS – Te Whare Twekaweka – LP – White Vinyl [APR 4]

Description

LP – Limited Edition White Vinyl. 4th studio album from acclaimed singer-songwriter Marlon Williams, features 14 songs written entirely in Te Reo Mori.

Ko te reo Mori, he matapihi ki te ao Mori goes the Mori whakatauki (proverb) that has guided Aotearoa singer/songwriter Marlon Williams(Ki Tahu, Ngi Tai) fourth solo album, Te Whare Twekaweka. Translated, it means The Mori language is a window to the Mori world and expresses Marlons motivation behind his first te reo Mori album. Through the process of constructing these songs, Marlon says, Ive found a means of expressing my joys, sorrows and humour in a way that feels both distinctly new yet also connects me to my tpuna [ancestors] and my whenua [land, home].

Connection lies at the heart of Te Whare Twekaweka, the albums five-year process reconnecting Marlon to family, friends and his home town of Lyttelton after a globe-trotting decade establishing his career. That sense of home-coming is expressed on the cover art by Marlons mum, artist Jennifer Rendall, drawn when she was pregnant with the future singer and which eerily resembles an adult Marlon. The album also signifies another step in Marlons journey with his ancestral tongue, his ability in the language developing as the songs accumulated in the hours spent with close friend and co-writer, rapper KOMMI.

The language unlocked both a newfound lyrical honesty and a grand sonic vision. Supported by long-time touring band The Yarra Benders, co-producer Mark Perkins (Te Whnau–Apanui), the He Waka Ktuia singers and featuring a collaboration with pop star Lorde, the album traverses Marlons familiar folk-country-bluegrass territory, while continuing his exploration of poppier waters and the inherent rhythms of Mori music. The result is a collection at once contemporary and timeless.

The making of the album was captured in the documentary Marlon Williams: Ng Ao E Rua – Two Worlds directed by Ursula Grace. Marlon wanted to share his journey in the hope others might benefit. Its the same impulse that drives his songwriting. I hope that music may do the mahi (work) that conversation cannot, and that it may broaden and deepen our sense of interconnectedness, he says. By expanding his output into Mori, Marlon has widened the portal through which that connection might happen. Te Whare Twekaweka, he says, has given him a bigger playground.

Tracklist:

Side A
1. E Mawehe Ana Au
2. Kei Te Mrama
3. Aua Atu R
4. Me Uaua K
5. Krero Mori
6. Ko Tn Ua
7. Whakameatia Mai

Side B
1. Ng Ara Aroha
2. Huri Te Whenua (featuringKOMMI)
3. Kuru Pounamu
4. Khore He Manu E (featuringLorde)
5. Pnaki
6. Rere Mai Ng Rau
7. Pkaia R Te Marama