ITunes classifies this album as "unclassifiable", but that's not fair to potential listeners, or to Hukkelberg. Rykestrasse 68, inspired by Berlin (where the Norwegian singer-songwriter lived for a while), is a very accessible collection of finely crafted pop songs. True, the unpredictable treatments cover a broad range of styles, from the sparse fragments of the title track to the banjo-Bach of Ticking Bomb; from the jazzy, catchy A Cheater's Armoury to the lush sweep of the Pixies' Break My Body, the album's sole cover. The instrumental credits include an amplified egg slicer, Remington 20 typewriter (on The North Wind - wonderful), trash can and "tea strainer guitar". All the carefully recorded clicks, ticks and sprongs enhance Hukkelberg's enchanted sound world. And as for her beautifully judged vocals, ignore those comparisons to Joanna Newsom or Björk. Rykestrasse 68 puts Hukkelberg way ahead of both.
(Nettwerk)