Hanne Hukkelberg – Blood from a Stone
  1. Hanne Hukkelberg
  2. Blood from a Stone
  3. Propeller Recordings/ Netwerk Productions
  4. myspace.com/hannehukkelberg

Hanne Hukkelberg – Blood from a Stone

Composed in a small coastal Norwegian village north of the Polar Circle, the ten songs on Blood from a Stone are the perfect thing for a rainy day or a ride home late at night. Hanne Hukkelberg’s minimalist indie-rock is both diverse and focused. The title track showcases the poppy side of Hanne’s beautiful voice, reminding this reviewer of the sassy vocal tones of Tegan and Sara. Other songs are more experimental, like the building epic sound of “Salt of the Earth,” or the spacey darkness of “No One But Yourself,” with its clattering percussion. While some listeners may be annoyed at the divergence from English, I really enjoy Hanne’s use of her native Norwegian tongue for the closing track, “Bygd Til By,” which is a slow and soft tune using a clean guitar and icy keys to create a mood that is strangely both eerie and comforting. She uses almost as many instruments as Sufjan Stevens, including a homemade church organ, which helps Hanne actually avoids any traditional drumset, preferring more unusual household percussion. Overall, it comes out sounding very open and somewhat dark, for fans of Timbre, Sonic Youth, or Sigur Ros.

8/10