Hanne Hukkelberg
Rykestraße 68

Hukkelberg is a singer-songwriter from Oslo who is seriously contributing to preventing the oversimplification of the pop-electronic scene that in the Nordic countries has brought forth artists like Sigur Ròs, Mùm, Biosphere, Luomo, Pan Sonic, Mirdaircondo, and many others. After all, such intimately fresh music could only flourish in those lands where music seems to arise naturally; how can we not believe the words of Jonsi from Sigur Ròs when he says that the biggest source of inspiration for their music is their land, "its culture, its horizons, its nature." It's hard to say if this is truly the reason, but it can be easily affirmed that the Northern European pop scene is one of the most vibrant and dynamic realities of our time. Of course, hearing the word pop leads some to cry heresy, non-music, business... to all of them I highly recommend giving a listen to the two CDs produced by Hukkelberg so far; two true gems.

With a musical education that saw her holding her first instruments at the age of three, Hukkelberg roams the Norwegian music underground, bouncing from pop to rock, from metal to free-jazz. At the same time, she pursues an academic education that will see her complete her studies at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. The turning point in her career is the meeting with the Norwegian electro-jazz orchestra Jaga Jazzist which leads to her recording debut with Little Things in 2005. It's an instant success. In 2006, Rykestrasse 68 is released.

If in her first album she indisputably showed that she was not an improvised musician and brought her to everyone's attention, Rykestrasse 68 consecrates her as a universally recognized artist. Her music isn't simply delicate pop, she's not just an imitator of Bjork, nor one of the many pop offerings crowding the music scene. Rykestrasse 68, like Little Things, is a work of experimentation that only when you realize how it's made does it manage to assume the importance it deserves. Much less than it might initially seem is made electronically, Hukkelberg's music is a playful use of objects as musical instruments. In her live performances, you see bicycles, glasses, typewriters, dish brushes being used on stage; everything contributes to building the melody, everything transforms into music. It's nothing new, one might say, but everything is so well constructed that we don't even realize what we're facing; everything is so effortlessly melodic that it doesn't even suggest the compositional artifice behind each piece.

This is the beauty of Rykestrasse 68, each piece is a light and enchanting snowflake, nothing so simple and evocative at the same time. Listening to "Berlin" is to be charmed by an obsessive and discreet black-and-white electronic sound with a somewhat retro taste, a characteristic of many of the Norwegian musician's compositions, so much so that one might rightly say we are in the presence of a modern-day Billie Holiday. The voice is beautifully set in an introspective and whispered timbre that never indulges in virtuosity, rather, seems to hide behind the various supporting sounds. Yet it's her voice that rules, and perhaps "Break My Body" (a cover of a Pixies' song splendidly adapted) is the track that best highlights the immense capability she possesses. For the rest, it's all a series of fragile and graceful ballads always balancing between tradition and experimentation, where never intrusive electronics accompany a dense tapestry of sounds that timidly unfold, always trying to remain in the shadows, not wishing to interfere with the delicacy that permeates the compositions. The atmosphere shifts from playful to ones overflowing with melancholy, but always without slipping into banality.

Proceeding in the same direction as the Icelandic Bjork concerning avant-pop exploration, Hukkelberg has managed to coin a sound where jazz, pop, and electronics blend wonderfully to create sound jewels of immeasurable class and elegance.

You can be sure we'll be hearing more about this artist.