“The language is a beautiful tool that unlocked something in me,” Marlon Williams has said of creating his latest album, Te Whare Tiwekaweka (translation: ‘This Messy House’), which is sung entirely in Te Reo Māori.
Williams has spent the last five years reconnecting with his Ngāi Tahu and Ngāi Tai roots. While learning his ancestral tongue, we can tell Williams fixated on perfecting specific speech sounds and – particularly during Ko Tena Ua – he delivers crisp consonants with percussive flair.
Whakameattia is a swinging little number that makes us wanna swish about in a full, ruffled skirt. A softly strummed, cooing delight, Aua Atu Ra transports us directly into a hammock slung between nikau palms and overlooking a shimmering lake in Aotearoa.
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Next time we visit New Zealand, here’s hoping the lively sounds of Korero Māori greet us as we step off the plane (preferably performed live by Williams, The Yarra Benders and He Waka Kōtuia singers) – what a chill vibe! And perusing this song’s English translation unearthed an absolute gem: “Stop your aggressive haka and sway with me.” Pokaia Ra Te Marama closes this record with a reverent sense of ceremony.
Listening to music with lyrics in a language we don’t yet understand is freeing. Without the distraction of words and searching for meaning, we can surrender completely to the melodies and rhythms.
Te Whare Tiwekaweka is audio medicine.
This collection of songs for sweet reverie will be released alongside Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao E Rua – Two Worlds, a feature-length making-of doco, which was directed by Ursula Grace.
LABEL: INDEPENDENT
RELEASE: OUT NOW
