El Cuero

El Cuero

El Cuero at Slottsfjell 2012
Background information
Origin Kristiansund, Norway
Genres Rock, country rock, classic rock
Years active 2005 - present
Labels EMI
Gravel Road Music
Website el-cuero.com
Members Håvard Takle Ohr
Brynjar Takle Ohr
Øyvind Blomstrøm
Tommy Reite

El Cuero is a Norwegian rock band. Formed in 2005 by brothers Håvard and Brynjar Takle Ohr in their native Kristiansund, the band has released four studio albums and one live album, with a fifth studio album, Souls Under Red Light, to be released on October 2, 2015.

History

Early days and first albums

The band was formed by brothers Håvard and Brynjar Takle Ohr in their hometown of Kristiansund in western Norway. The two had played in several bands together since childhood, but had a falling out that left the them estranged for several years, by their own admission as they "grew tired of each other" after constantly working together. A pivotal moment prior to their falling out was the brothers allegedly chasing each other around in a crowded restaurant with one of them brandishing a steak knife, an incident they have since humorously referred to as "typical sibling rivalry".[1] Reuniting in 2005, they were joined by friends and fellow musicians Øyvind Blomstrøm and Tommy Reite. After spending their formative years touring smaller venues whilst writing and creating music; the band entered Caliban Studios in Oslo to record their eponymous debut album in early 2007. Released to mostly positive reviews by the Norwegian media,[2][3] the album sold fairly well but failed to give the band mainstream attention. Nevertheless, the group commenced touring in support of the record, while continuing to create new music.[4]

Less than a year later, the band returned to the studio to record their follow-up album. Released in 2008, A Glimmer of Hope was met with universal praise from both media and fans, making the band a mainstream feature for the first time.[5][6][7][8] The band soon embarked on an extensive tour to support the album. They also attracted attention from other artists, among them Jackson Browne, who singled them out for praise while on tour in Norway.[9][10]

Mainstream success

Following the success of their previous album, the band had embarked on what would be their longest tour yet, spanning nearly two years, taking advantage of their newfound stardom. Not until the fall of 2010 did the band announce a return to the studio, to begin work on their third studio album.[11] On March 8, 2011, the band announced that the album would be titled From Mountains to Sand, with the first single from the album, entitled "Footprints", released ten days later alongside the music video.[9][12][13] Released on May 27, 2011, the album entered both the Norwegian iTunes album chart and national album charts at number one. The band resumed touring, whilst also taking the time to work on other projects, most notably as backing artists for Egil Hegelberg both in studio and in concert.

In September 2012, the band revealed that twelve songs had been recorded for an upcoming fourth album, with plans for an early 2013 release. The entire album had been written and recorded in complete secrecy in what the members described as "a three-week jam session". To avoid distractions and interruptions, the band had rented an old, abandoned school building, where they stayed during the entire three-week period with only a handful of people knowing.[14] On November 28, the album's first single, "My Dark America" was released on the band's YouTube channel, along with confirmation that the album would be released on February 8, 2013.[15] In January 2013, the band revealed that the album would be delayed due to problems with production of the album artwork. It was also announced that the album would be titled Victor's Justice. The album was eventually released on March 8, 2013, once again to overwhelmingly positive reviews.[16] During the subsequent four-month tour, the band recorded and produced their first live album, El Cuero's Justice - Live!, which was released on October 11, 2013, only seven months after their previous album, their shortest span between albums to date.

Melodi Grand Prix and fifth album

In January 2014, it was announced that El Cuero had been selected by NRK as one of the entries for the third semi-final of the 2014 Melodi Grand Prix, the Norwegian qualifier for the Eurovision Song Contest. Their entry, "Ain't No Love (In This City No More)", eventually reached the final, where it was beaten by advance favorite "Silent Storm". It is to date the only song recorded by the band exclusively as a single, without appearing on an album. Following their participation, the band spent the rest of the year working on separate projects and ventures, with occasional appearances together. On September 2, 2015, after a prolonged break from touring, the band released "Too Late To Go Back", their first new track in eighteen months. While initially exclusive to streaming service Tidal, the single was released to Spotify, iTunes and other outlets two days later. At the same time, the band revealed that their upcoming fifth album, Souls Under Red Light, would be released on October 20. It is currently unknown if this release date refers to another Tidal-exclusive or if it includes all outlets.[17]

Discography

The band has released four studio albums and one live album as of September 2015, with their upcoming fifth studio album scheduled for October 20, 2015. Since their third album, all albums have been simultaneously released on CD, vinyl LP and digital, while their first two albums were only released on CD. They has since been re-released both on LP and digitally. The bands first single, "Footprints", was released exclusively on iTunes and on Platekompaniet's MP3 store on March 18, 2011.[12]

Albums

Title and details Chart
positions
[18]
NOR
El Cuero
  • Released: August 15, 2007 (CD), March 19, 2011 (digital)
  • Label: Gravel Road Music
 –
A Glimmer of Hope
  • Released: October 8, 2008 (CD and LP), March 19, 2011 (digital)
  • Label: Gravel Road Music
 –
From Mountains to Sand
  • Released: May 27, 2011
  • Format: CD, vinyl LP and digital
 3
Victor's Justice
  • Released: March 8, 2013
  • Format: CD, vinyl LP and digital
 16
Souls Under Red Light
  • To be released: October 20, 2015
  • Format: CD, vinyl LP and digital
 16

Singles

References

  1. ↑ Interview with VG Nett, 2011
  2. ↑ "El Cuero - A glimmer of hope 2008 - El Cuero 2007". Rockeweb. 2007-09-25. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
  3. ↑ "El Cuero: "El Cuero" - VG Nett". Vg.no. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
  4. ↑ "Radio Revolt". Studentradion.no. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
  5. ↑ "www.musiq.no El Cuero - A Glimmer Of Hope: anmeldelse". Musiq.no. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
  6. ↑ "El Cuero: "A Glimmer Of Hope" - VG Nett". Vg.no. 2007-06-18. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
  7. ↑ "Tenner håpet : Dagsavisen". Dagsavisen.no. 2008-10-10. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
  8. ↑ Svein Andersen, "Ut av skyggen: El Cuero kan nok fylle noe av det mørke hullet etter Madrugada", Aftenposten Oslopuls 14 October 2008 (Norwegian)
  9. 1 2 "El Cuero ute med ny singel", Spirit 19 March 2011 (Norwegian)
  10. ↑ Kjetil Barth, "NW: Den stilsikre herremann Jackson Browne", Puls 13 June 2010.
  11. ↑ "El Cuero". Facebook. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
  12. 1 2 "New single "Footprints" (out today march 18th!) & video from our upcoming album (out may 27th)". El-cuero.com. 2011-03-07. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
  13. ↑ "El Cuero - Footprints". YouTube. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
  14. ↑ http://www.side2.no/underholdning/article3524499.ece
  15. ↑ http://www.730.no/musicitem.aspx?newsId=12263
  16. ↑ 6/6 in eight newspapers, 5/6 in five, per the album artwork.
  17. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/elcuero.official/photos/a.453288184059.256554.13906134059/10153584076524060/?type=1&theater
  18. ↑ El Cuero discography. norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved March 23, 2013.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, October 30, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.