Search - Hanne Hukkelberg :: Rykestrasse 68

A good heart, a wise and knowing soul

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 03/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's hard to assign a specific sound to a singer who has been involved in everything from free jazz to rock'n'roll to heavy metal.



But when it comes to Hanne Hukkelberg, that sound is dreamlike freak-folk, wrapped in feather-soft experimental melodies. And her second album "Rykestrasse 68" is a really exquisite little affair -- though it has a few too-ambient moments, it's still quirky, elusive and wistfully sweet.



It opens with birdsong, the sound of a car, a fuzzy strummed guitar, and a soft chime every few seconds. "Old bullet holes/Behind wild botany/On the outside/Of the penny marked/Punks are selling/Black and white fanzines," Hukkelberg croons in a high, sweet little voice, as she describes the relief of just baring your soul to someone.



It's followed by the quirky bouncy "Cheater's Armoury," a playful mishmash of jazz and folkpop. But she doesn't restrict herself to just one kind of music: she turns out lush psych-nautical ballads, swirly blippy melodies, airy Norwegian pop, string-laden love ballads, and the gloriously tight, ominous "Ticking Bomb" -- the piano even sounds a little like a ticking-down clock.



But two songs stick out particularly. "Fourteen" is an alluring little experimental tune -- think an acid-trip at a winter Renaissance Faire. And as weird as it is to hear Hukkelberg singing coolly "I'm a horny loser," her cover of the Pixies' "Break My Body" is the best of the album -- a powerful, dark melodic song that gives an eerie edge to "break my body/hold my bones."



It's hard to really compare Hanne Hukkelberg to anybody -- think a more ethereal Emiliana Torrini, a more accessible Bjork, a more experimental Stina Nordenstam. And her music is equally hard to pigeonhole, since it has elements of freakfolk, chamberpop, electronica and jazz, but isn't really close enough to any of them to be labeled.



Well, they're still pretty -- crystalline, unpredictable and quietly soothing... or unnerving. The instrumentation is layered with lots of strings, piano, electronics and an acoustic guitar, as well as some medieval wind instruments, chimes, accordion, and a bit of tambourine. And they're played pretty much how Hukkelberg wants them to be, whether it's in strong waves or in hesitant little spurts.



As the finishing touch, Hukkelberg infuses these songs with found sounds -- a wineglass chiming, what sounds like windchimes, typewriter keys, a car's tires on gravel, clattering bottles, and even a touch of rain.



That dreamlike music is helped along by the songwriting, which can be lyrical ("Come when the coat's on fire/North wind, north wind/Come when the sun chokes us") or minimalistic. ("Olden soul/Dinosaur/Sincere/Open/Playful"). And while she often sings in that sweet, high, fairylike voice that a lot of Scandinavian singers use, she can switch over to magnificent, powerful vocals (see "Break My Body" and "The Pirate").



It takes a few listens to get used to Hanne Hukkelberg's spacey, crystalline folk-jazz-electro-pop, but once you sink into "Rykestrasse 68," there's no going back."

Post-rock Chanteuse

T. M. Orange | 03/17/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Is this the teutonic PJ Harvey or Joanna Newsom? Neither as spooky as the former nor as flakey as the later, fans of either should nevertheless check out Hanne Hukkelberg, who has served up this striking collection of haunting and sparse little ditties with offhanded aplomb. She sings in a charming soprano that is thin yet clear and strong, with incredible pitch control that enables her to shake and turn the middle or end of a line in a manner that would do Billie Holiday proud. The supporting instrumentation is that of an exotic, slightly-rockin slightly swinging chamber ensemble -- vibes, glocks, bass clarinet, cellos -- that is not without a little Dadaist humor as well (other instruments include bicycle wheel, Remington 20 typewriter, bottle on table). It's all as if you had a German cabaret singer backed by a spiffed up vintage Tom Waits backing band. (And bonus points for the Pixies cover, Track 7.)

"

Pinwheels between precious and progressive . . .

John W. Dunner | Atco, NJ United States | 02/12/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Pinwheeling between precious and progressive, Hukkelberg layers her twee vocals into well-crafted arrangements recalling Kate Bush, Billie Holiday, and Bjork. Yeah, she's that different. The single "Cheater's Armoury" is a breezy, blase pirouette atop a walking bass line. "Fourteen," with its layered chatter and non-sequitur lyrics, owes a debt to Frank Zappa. "Break My Body" would be right at home on an Anna Ternheim or Sarah McLachlan album. Up and down Rykestrasse 68, one finds a curio-shop quality in the music; nearly every song includes "instruments" such as Wurlitzer legs, tea-strainer guitar, bass clarinet, ball, knife, bicycle wheel, trash can, Remington typewriter, or egg slicer. Yet the songs remain the focus. Winner of a Spellemannsprisen (Norwegian Grammy), Rykestrasse 68 is worth a visit, if only to hear this creative sprite turn a romper room into an Architectural Digest spread. ****"