Hanne Hukkelberg

Emo’s Jr., Saturday, March 15

Hanne Hukkelberg has the face of a woman in a Jean-Luc Godard film, doe-eyed and knowing. Add to that a voice parts Billie Holiday and Beth Gibbons, and the 28-year-old Norwegian’s charm is hard to ignore. Last year’s beautiful sophomore album, Rykestrasse 68, recorded in Berlin, was moody and spare, and live, that undercurrent was amplified by a fourpiece band wielding brass, violin, and accordion. Opener “Berlin” was appropriately emotive as Hukkelberg purred the urban lullaby and tried not to look nervous. Her voice is lilting, at times jazzy, but always in control, and it was the foundation for the cinematic wave the band produced, going from eerily quiet to electronic blips to swelling and orchestral. Her reworking of the Pixies’ “Bone Machine” was an interesting one, and it’s obvious Hukkelberg has immense talent; she just needs to come out of her shell a bit.

This article appears in March 21 • 2008.

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