REVIEW: 'Brotherly' By Mali Mali

Mali Mali is the brain child of Auckland-based singer/songwriter Ben Tolich, an artist whose aim is to create work from a state of clarity - a tough ask under any circumstance. The most recent result of this new-found freedom is 'Brotherly'; paving a good start toward this noble goal.

I guess you could say Mali Mali are a part of the Little Monster fold – LM being the production house (or should I say, bedroom) of humble boy-genius Dave Parker, who seems to have recorded/produced half of the current up-and-coming bands in Auckland. In this regard, Mali Mali as a band would (and do) sit comfortably in any Wednesday-night-at-the-Wine-Cellar line-up. This fact – i.e, Parker’s hand in the musical matter, is reflected in the overall production values of the EP, with the howling gang-vocals, the expected variety of acoustic instruments, Spartan piano lines, and shimmering Radiohead-type guitar work all contributing toward to some genuinely nice music.

The above assumption is most readily observed in the final track, 'Common Birds Hiding', with its climatic builds, and the use of voice-as-instrument. The well-placed lyric-less piano ballad 'Niece' provides a breather for the listener, allowing space for Mali Mali’s brooding stories to be absorbed within its oceanic density. 'Roman’s Hawk' is the easy standout track on the EP. The well-crafted story follows a boy’s misinterpretation of what his girl wants (and also what he wants – probably), set to the oh-so-familiar backdrop of the classic Kiwi coastline. Two of the best (haunting) lines of the EP shine through here: “through a rattling window I see her smiling silhouette/let it be the only heartbreak that I have”, and “if I thought the hurt was going to heal itself soon/the next year was repeated in a different dancing room”. Heart-wrecking material; I adore the honesty.

In saying this, there are a few lyrical foibles; the tired metaphors in "Your Glowing Skin"; e.g., “bones of steel”, and “electricity charges through those barbed wire veins”, detract from what is an otherwise cohesive piece of music.

Through, 'Brotherly', Mali Mali have taken the time-honoured song writing traditions of love and heartbreak, and skewed them toward their own Kiwi-centric sensibilities. This approach has its obvious strokes of brilliance, but also unnecessary flaws. I’d be ambivalent to say this is the best the band could do, but the genuinely special parts in this 5-song gem really hit home.

'Brotherly' is short, mainly sweet; I’d say it’s worth buying.

Check out Mali Mali's performance of 'Common Birds Hiding' on BalconyTV Auckland.

By Theo Sangster