Blood From A Stone

We Say...

Review by Peter Margasak

This charmingly idiosyncratic art-pop singer from Norway takes a sharp turn with her wonderful third album, retaining the strange instrumentation and quirky arrangements of her previous work but pushing her songs boldly into rock territory. The new approach can be a shocking at first, but in the end Blood From a Stone bears many of the same creative hallmarks as its predecessors. Gone is Hukkelberg's fragile wisp of a voice, replaced by a forceful cry. And while the guitars that drive the title track don't exactly chug, they do make quite a racket. If Hukkelberg once fit in neatly with your definition of Scandinavian female pop, think again.

The melodies on Blood are both catchy and elusive, sticking in the memory even as they baffle the brain with counterintuitive leaps, twists and stops. Hukkelberg's own guitar work is masterfully complemented by lead and rhythm playing from the wildly original Ivar Grydeland (who also plays in the excellent trio called Huntsville). But even as guitars assert themselves in the foreground, the rich detail of Hukkelberg's music hasn't vanished. The beats aren't banged out on a standard kit, but on a series of unconventional sources that include "oven & freezer percussion," "table percussion,""heart drum," and "kitchen percussion,"producing a wonderfully clanky, post-Tom Waits kind of movement. Additional textures and countermelodies are served up with glockenspiel, saw, clarinet and celesta. It's an enchanting, dense piece of work, one that's both instantly appealing and rewarding to multiple listens.