Buy Rykestrasse 68 now and we will throw in a free copy of 'A Cheater's Armoury' on CD single which contains a previously unreleased track 'Bric-A-Brac'.

Norwegian singer Hanne Hukkelberg’s 2005 debut album Little Things’ was a  charming impression of life in Oslo, notable for its imaginative use of  found sounds and eclectic array of instrumentation. Her elfin but  idiosyncratic persona coupled with a lazily seductive voice drew comparisons with everyone from Joanna Newsom and Björk, to Stina Nordenstam and Billie Holliday.
 
Her sophomore album ‘Rykestrasse 68’, her first since signing to Canadian  label Nettwerk, is a tribute to the six months she recently spent living in Berlin and is far less whimsical, with a moodier, more widescreen production. Like her debut, it was produced by Kåre Vestrheim at Propeller Studios in Oslo and features contributions from the cream of the Norwegian music scene, including members of Jaga Jazzist, Dinosau and Shining.
 
While it shares its predecessor’s wide-eyed wonderment, Hukkelberg’s  experimentation reaches maturity here. The album is awash with inventive  flourishes, with rhythm tracks constructed from the clacking of typewriters,  kitchen utensils, a cat purring or the spinning of a bicycle wheel. Producer Vestrheim melds vibes, glockenspiel and theremin with wheezing brass and  sonorous strings, giving the album a wonderfully creaky ambience akin to Emiliana Torrini, Múm and even Tom Waits.

Opener ‘Berlin’ is transformed by  the addition of atmospheric street sounds, while ‘A Cheater’s Armoury' is  perhaps the most overtly jazz influenced track here and comes with a video (also included on the album) directed by award winning MTV animator Andreas Paleologos.
 
However Hukkelberg's lyrical concerns are ambiguous. It's for the listener to glean the meanings of ‘Obelix’, (the finest paean to a feline since Red House Painter’s ‘Wop-A-Din-Din’), ’The Pirate’s (a lonely death at sea?) or 'Ticking Bomb'.
 
'Rykestrasse's defining moment is an extraordinary interpretation of the Pixies classic 'Break My Body', a perennial live favourite re-cast as an  evocative sea shanty, that Hukkelberg manages to invade so completely as to  make the song her own. Pixies manager Ken Goes was moved to say: "Of the  dozens and dozens of Pixies covers over the years, Hanne's is my favourite."
                                                                                                                       
An album of contrasts, it is a testament to Hukkelberg’s skill that she  manages to make such a personal work so inviting. As well as the aforementioned video, this edition of the album also includes a live version of ‘Searching', the original version of which (from 'Little Things') is currently being used as the soundtrack for Space NK's TV and cinema advertising campaign.
 
Hukkelberg started singing and playing instruments in her home town of Kongsberg, Norway at the age of 3 and later played in various jazz, rock and free  jazz bands including a doom metal band called Funeral. A graduate of the Norwegian Academy of Music, she has also gained a reputation as a powerful live performer, her shows full of typically Scandinavian absurdist humour.

SPECIAL OFFER

Buy Rykestrasse 68 now and we will throw in a free copy of 'A Cheater's Armoury' on CD single.

As well as featuring the video for "A Cheater's Armoury' this exclusive promo only CD contains a previously unreleased track 'Bric-A-Brac'.

We only have a limited amount of these so its a strictly first come, first served deal.