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HANNE HUKKELBERG
NORWAY'S HANNE HUKKELBERG
RETURNS FROM ABOVE THE POLAR CIRCLE WITH HER THIRD ALBUM
BLOOD FROM A
STONE TO BE RELEASED ON NETTWERK MAY 12
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR IN THE
WORKS FOR JUNE 2009
"It's not too difficult to
imagine Hanne Hukkelberg's subtly powerful cross between
Laetitia Sadier and Billie Holiday becoming a leading
voice among the freak folk scene, alongside the Joanna
Newsom's and Devandra Banhart's of the world."
SKYSCRAPER
"This is perfect... It's just
Hanne and her pleasant little Norwegian voice singing
soft tunes over what could be the soundtracks from old
kitchen-sink dramas."
VICE
Norwegian Grammy Award winner
HANNE HUKKELBERG has returned with a brand new
batch of captivating songs on BLOOD FROM A
STONE, which will be released on Nettwerk,
May 12 2009.
BLOOD FROM A STONE is the
third album for the Norwegian artist best known for her
imaginative use of found sounds and eclectic array of
instrumentation. While Hukkelberg spent her formative
years playing in various metal bands, the singer admits
she lingered over other influences for this collection,
most notably post punkers like Sonic Youth, Cocteau
Twins, Pixies, Einstuerzende Neubauten and P.J. Harvey.
You can also hear a bit of Siouxsie through the glass
darkly.
Although it's immediately apparent
that this album rocks more than Hukkelberg's previous
releases (Little Things [2005] and Rykestrasse 68
[2007]), the results are still undeniably idiosyncratic.
The bulk of her vocals are first takes, and her lyrics
are more direct and less introverted than on previous
albums. Musically, the songs continue Hukkelberg's
penchant for combining traditional and unusual
instrumentation to form a soundscape. Though a
self-described rock album, BLOOD FROM A STONE
manages to include field recordings of flagpoles, train
doors, seagulls, clogs, rocks, kitchen utensils,
freezers, stoves and a school desk - with no traditional
drum kit to be found. All instruments were tuned by ear;
digital tuners were banned from the studio.
While BLOOD FROM A STONE was
recorded in Hukkelberg's regular studio in Oslo, the
songs themselves were written during the seven months
she spent living in a tiny coastal village on the
Norwegian island of Senja, 300 kilometres north of the
Polar Circle. This starkly contrasts with a similar
period of time spent ensconced in Berlin while writing
her previous album. Hukkelberg explains: "In the north
of Norway it is way more quiet. It has been interesting
to experience composing in both a busy city and in a
quiet village. I noticed it affected me in very
different ways. I felt a need for composing more quiet
songs in the noisy city, and more noisy music in the
quiet village."
BLOOD FROM A STONE is
co-produced by Hukkelberg and her long-term collaborator
Kare Vestrheim. Several of her regular musicians appear
on the album, including Henning Sandsdalen, Lena Nymark,
Erland Dahlen and Kare Vestrheim, while other
contributors are Bent Sæther (of Motorpsycho) Ivar
Grydeland (Huntsville), Martin Langlie (Gate, Valkyrien
Allstars), Mark Jowett (Nettwerk Cofounder), and the
unusual rhythm section Hurra Torpedo (on freezers and
stoves). Hukkelberg herself plays bass, guitar, drums,
percussion, piano and various bric-a-brac.
Hukkelberg plans to tour the new
album throughout Europe and UK this spring, landing in
North America for a string of dates this June.. Full
tour dates to be announced soon.
http://hanne.hukkelberg.net/
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Hanne Hukkelberg