What makes something Maltese? More specifically, what makes Etnika’s new album Maddalena’s Marvellous Tripfolk Klabb so quintessentially Maltese? I have no straight answer and perhaps there isn’t one, but Maddalena embodies a sense of being Maltese that pushes the boundaries of identity.

Maddalena is Etnika’s comeback album after an eight-year hiatus and it is, perhaps, their most original and striking offering to date. The album offers a blend of old and new – a fascinating mix of the traditional with the contemporary that feels timeless.

The line-up is as eclectic as it can get, with instruments ranging from electric bass to the tanbur, żafżafa, pastizzi trays, and the bijambo. Incidentally, the latter instrument (in English a ‘Jew’s Harp’) which features quite prominently, has survived in popular culture in the phrase ‘qiegħed bil-bijambo’ which translates to ‘he’s in a bad mood’.

The expression apparently originates from millers waiting patiently for the wind to turn the windmills, and literally not being able to do any work except play the bijambo!

The mix of musicians is no less eclectic with Alison Galea (of Beangrowers fame), Andrew Alamango (who has researched tirelessly Malta’s popular music history) and Walter Vella and Oliver Degabriele who come from a jazz background. They are also joined by Andrej Vujicic and Francesca Grima, whose percussive contributions are deeply entrenched in the world of dance and movement.

Also present, thanks to the wonders of technology, are the voices of Ġuże Cassar Pullicino, and Frans Baldacchino Il-Budaj.

One of the most impressive aspects of the album (besides the impeccable playing and singing) is the use of language

The Maddalena in the album’s title comes from the first track, a revisiting of Carlo Satariano’s song about unrequited love from 1931. The music is by Vincenzo Ciappara, who was also a highly respected bandmaster and composer, and was a huge hit in its day. I still my remember my late grandmother singing this while going about the house, although admittedly with a wide margin of poetic licence applied!

One of the most impressive aspects of the album (besides the impeccable playing and singing), is the use of language. I particularly enjoyed Tuta Tajba, a wonderful interplay of words and rhythm made up of several traditional tongue twisters. There are also some absolutely wonderful new creations by poet Norbert Bugeja, matched by equally poetic and inventive music, with Rummiena being a particularly fine one.

It would be beyond the scope of this review to tackle each and every song in depth, although each creation is worthy of detailed attention. I have to admit, I have not yet fallen in love with every single track, but when seen in its totality there is something captivating about the whole album.

I, personally, found Lanċa the least effective track. I felt the one I could least connect to, and overall lacking in focus. Having it sandwiched between two such powerful songs  as Maddalena and Il-Mara u x-Xitan also doesn’t help. The latter a tongue in cheek song about the moral dangers of women, is another Satariano creation from 1931.

The album comes in a slick soft cover, designed by musician Andrej Vujicic no less. I do miss having the words printed, and maybe a bit more info on each song, but that is me being a musical nerd. There is also a fantastic ‘music gangster’ group photo on the inside that looks like the cast of some Mexican crime drama which is absolutely wonderful.

A word of caution about the ‘tripfolk’ appellation. In the CD sleeve the band explains that their musical experimentations started mixing a lot of new and traditional elements together, resulting in a style that they started referring to as ‘tripfolk’.

Being someone who is naturally wary of labels, I would steer clear of such definitions as they can easily condition the listener. People will of course impose their own labels and classifications, which is all the more reason for not adding more definitions to the music. This is fundamentally good music, and good music remains good music regardless of stylistic labels.