ALBUMS
Caught in the headlights
Our debut Album 'Caught in the headlights' is now out!!! Available at all good record stores, online or as download.
Download from iTunes
Absent Elk’s unusual moniker is cut from frontman Kjetil’s homeland of Norway, a land which also played a big part in influencing the band’s body of lyrics. Interestingly, the rest of the band is from Brighton – and those four have known each other for years, playing in various band lineups until finally coming across the right frontman for to complete their vision.
The four from Brighton met Kjetil, and within three weeks the band played wither first live show as Absent Elk. Said show took place in front of thousands of festival-attendees, and though the new lineup was still very green, they had worked out an entire set to play. It wasn’t long afterward that Absent Elk signed with Sony BMG and began working on their debut album.
The five band members spent the end of 2008 on tour with the Hoosiers (who are themselves a mix of nationalities, being both from the UK and Sweden) and the Script (the three part Irish pop band), right before they began preparing to release their debut album early this year. Their album (that is of course now finished) was produced by Toby Smith, and you can sample the band yourself by checking out their MySpace or their band bio page on the Sony BMG website.
It looks like the album will be mixed and ready for release sometime soon – within a few months – but there are a few tracks that are available for a listen now, like the guys’ cover of Girls Aloud’s “The Loving Kind.” Absent Elk’s version of the song is tragically melodic yet somehow sweet at the same time. On the band’s MySpace you can check out “Sun & Water,” “That’s All,” “Emily,” and “Change My World.” I really recommend “Emily,” and not because it’s the band’s most played track, but because all of the people who’ve listened to the song so far have really found a good thing.
SINGLES
Comfort Or Amuse (Charity single)
Released digitally 15 May 2011
Download today from iTunes
'Comfort Or Amuse' has been released as a charity single in aid of Cancer Research UK. The song, performed by the band's Norwegian singer/songwriter Kjetil Morland, is inspired by, and written for his mum Hildegunn, who is suffering from bowel cancer. Kjetil says: "Cancer touches the lives of so many people, and we want to do everything we can to generate funds and raise awareness into helping beat this disease. This is a very personal song so both recording it and shooting the video meant a great deal to me."
This is a non-profit release, where all profits generated in the UK will be donated to Cancer Research UK - including publishing income from any UK radio play.
The song is a beautiful acoustic performance by Kjetil, who recalls recording it in an old garage in north London. "We took all the microphones out to a garage next to the studio, as we really liked the echo in the room. It really added a vintage character to the recording."
Let me know (radio edit)
Released digitally on 12 Sep 2010
From the album 'Caught In The Headlights'
Download today from iTunes
"As city reporters on Brighton’s many musical excursions, it’s sometimes difficult to get a national picture of our bands – unfortunately it’s often because there simply isn’t one. Not the case with Absent Elk – we’ve heard them on Jonathon Ross, Dermot’s a big fan after hosting a live session, and it’s not hard to work out why. This is a band for whom the term indie seems too reductive, such is the expansive sound and effortless scaling of anthemic heights they achieve with each successive release. Radio edit and instrumental versions on our promo CD suggest they have serious ambitions beyond our city walls – with absolute justification." - BrightonSource
Emily
Released digitally on 7 March 2010
From the album 'Caught In The Headlights'
Download today from iTunes
"'Emily' shows off the bands penchant for slick guitars, soaring choruses and neat backing vocals. The track comes complete with a dynamic change of pace two-thirds of the way in, illustrative of the twists and turns Absent Elk enjoy throwing the listeners way during their best moments" - Shout4Music
"The Elk's single is tight as a drum skin; a catchy portion of indie pop fare which should be cash in the bank for any radio plugger worth their salt, boding extremely well for their debut album ' Caught in the Headlights'" - BrightonSource
Change my world
Released November 2009
From the album 'Caught In The Headlights'
Download today from iTunes
"The first golden apple from the “debut album” tree of English-Norwegian indie-poppers Absent Elk falls with the title “Change My World” engraved upon its ever-shiny and juicy surface… a wistful dream of searing melodies and thoughtful progressions, conjuring images of summer meadows, long sunlit evenings, and bloomed orchards to great success" - Rock On Webzine
Sun and water
Released May 2009
From the album 'Caught In The Headlights'
Absent Elk's debut single “Sun & Water” is available now as a digital download. UK newspaper, The Guardian championed the single, stating: “This soars majestically, in an Indie kind of way ...we are looking forward to a whole album of extreme pop terror a la Sun & Water".
Dermot O'Leary (who frequently plays "Sun and Water" on his BBC Radio 2 show), had this to say of the track: "One of the best bands we've had in session for a very long time ...Beautiful".
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Written over 43 years ago