Mara TK
Bad Meditation
Extra Soul Perception
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Mara TK was part of the New Zealand future soul group Electric Wire Hustle, which released three albums between 2009 and 2016, the second of which (2014’s Love Can Prevail) was one of my favorite albums of the decade. Alongside their interesting spin on soul dwelt the voice of Mara, whose falsetto vocals sounded at certain specific moments much like the plaintive wail of Marvin Gaye.
Here on Mara TK’s debut solo album Bad Meditation, there is also proof of Gaye’s influence (along with his collaborator, Leon Ware) in the layered vocals that lend a warmth that perhaps might have been harder to come by without them. The clues to the sound lie in the cover of the Jacksons’ “All I Do Is Think Of You.” There’s the obvious distinct whiff of 1970s soul in the feel and production before the introduction of slight warping of his vocals and this is emblematic of the approach here.
Pre-release publicity makes it known that this is an infinitely more personal album than any Electric Wire Hustle LPs and that is clear from the opening track. “Highly Medicated” is a midtempo piece that slides by with some aplomb in dealing with the loss of his grandfather (“Stand outside your window / Crying in the rain / Highly medicated / Miss you all the same”). Though the problems afflicting them may have been different, there is shared ground with Solange’s admission on “Cranes In The Sky” that she tried to smoke it or drink it away – they both sought refuge in things where none was to be found.
More proof of the personal nature of the album is the use of Maori in a couple of spots on the album. The first of those is on the delicious “Te Kete Aronui,” where TK’s voice complements the divine harp and violin to create a blissful piece of stately paced music.
Those harps remain on “Grew Up Inna Chaos” alongside a mellifluous bass line that is typical of the album and you need look no further than the next song for another example—“Grrrl” possesses an edge of dance floor groove-ability and offers a welcome change of pace.
Each track offers something noteworthy and laudable. On “Bad Meditation,” it's the great guitar sound at the intro and the shuffling groove. On “Colours,” it is the beauty of his layered vocals to a sparse soul/funk backdrop. And on “Moon Song,” it is the thud of bass drum alongside strings and guitar.
The second half though, yields a couple of gems to lift the overall feel of the album. “Every Hori Is A Star” is a rollicking slice of Afrobeat-inspired soul with the slightest of disco pulse sound effects. Reflecting his work amongst the indigenous youth of New Zealand, a “Hori” is a derogatory term for someone of Maori descent—as the raucous rumbling rolls on, he uplifts and reclaims the phrase for those who share his heritage.
The second of these two highlights is “Met At The River” featuring Kenyan singer Xenia Manesseh. A piano-led rumination on meeting someone wonderful, making babies, then fucking it all up and finally feeling like you are all gonna be straight after that shit (as he, himself, so eloquently puts it), the song sees their voices combine to great effect and the production throws in harp flourishes, undulating bass and the same all-round forlorn atmosphere that pervades throughout the album.
The album bears fruit in its soulful approach and the eschewing of the more electronic framework that the final Electric Wire Hustle album used. His voice, though relatively limited in range, is a tool used to great effect, particularly when it is layered and given space by the uncluttered production on show here.
Notable Tracks: “Every Hori Is A Star” | “Highly Medicated” | “Met At The River” | “Toroa/The Albatross”
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