Hanne Hukkelberg: ''Rykestrasse 68''

Norwegian singer Hanne Hukkelberg's 2005 debut album Little Things was an 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 to everyone from Nina Simone, Joanna Newsome and to Radiohead and Billie Holliday.

Her sophomore album Rykestrasse 68, her first since signing to Canadian label Nettwerk, is a tribute to the six months she spent living in Berlin and is far less whimsical, with a moodier, more widescreen production. Like her debut, it was produced by K?re Vestrheim at Propeller Studios in Oslo and features contributions from the cream of the Norwegian music scene, including members of Jaga Jazzist, Mari Boine band, 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 Tom Waits, Emiliana Torrini, and M?m. 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 directed by award winning MTV animator Andreas Palegolas (also included on the album).

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'), sits alongside "The Pirate" (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, the UK edition of the album also includes a live version of "Searching", the original version of which (from Little Things) was recently 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 rock, jazz and free jazz bands including a high school 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.