Maletak

Being a ‘master of the diatonic accordion’ doesn’t sound sexy, but veteran Basque composer and bandleader Kepa Junkera makes his trusted trikitixa (as it's called in his native tongue) sound by turns like a booming bandoneón, gaita-style bagpipes and a flighty flute – not to mention an express train, a sea breeze and a migrating bird, as befits an album about travel. Sorginak, his backing musicians, originate from all corners of Spain and are further supplemented by a dozen or so guests. Together these support the guiding spirit of solo accordion with vocal choruses and the percussive heartbeat of drums and tambourines. The 17-song sequence is an intense, insistent journey around a mystical soundscape, often haunting and occasionally joyous, but always virtuosic. Perhaps alert to the niche appeal of Basque folk music and songs sung in Euskadi, the packaging for this album includes a large, glossy four-section gatefold, with a 24-page booklet and a wallet of ten arty photos that link up like a jigsaw puzzle. It's destined to be a collectible for local fans. But Maletak deserves an audience well beyond its regional heartland.