Gronk and the Body Doubles
London, England, United Kingdom
Music
Press
There is an almost David Gilmour quality to the songs on this album. The lush songs just ooze with feeling and pathos. Its hard not to be moved by such tracks as “Every So Often” which has an almost epic feel to it. While the orchestration is quite big the songs sound basic and approachable. A lot of effort clearly went into the tracks on this album and it shows.
There is a soundtrack element to this CD that just screams for some of the tracks to be included in the latest American drama. They would work especially well as the show ends in those dramatic emotional scenes.
Why Gronk does not have a deal is beyond me. He clearly has the talent that should warrant such an event.
There is something for everyone on here. Mellow yet still atmospheric and interesting it's quite an enjoyable trip. - Dodgeblogium
London-based musical chameleon Alex Mounsey, aka Gronk, began writing music when he was just 9 years old, and spent his high school days in boarding school developing the type of discipline that underlines his musical trajectory today. With a bit of introspection and a slightly different outlook on life, Gronk churned out a wildly diverse output that includes a goth double album, a synth symphony, two 20-minute drum ’n’ bass pieces and a song for every English monarch from 1066 onwards—and that was by the time he was 18. His latest release, The Long Way Around, is a product of his move to the U.S.—a unique pairing of a laptop, a saxophone player and a marimba player. It’s a light, summery rock album, mainstream but quirky. The album is currently available at www.gronk.co.uk, and early demos of his solo follow-up have already started to surface on the internet. Buy yourself a gift this holiday season and get introspective with Gronk. - HITS Daily Double (www.hitsdailydouble.com)
There is something for everyone, despite the fact the CD runs on the mellow side. There is no whiney angst on show here, but a more introspective solo style. Not a party CD, but a mellow evening with a bottle of wine type of release. Even better would be see him play it live in some smokey venue across the land.
Particular faves are “Wanderlust”, “Good Morning Carolina” and the title track. I have said it before and I meant it. Why the hell do some of those droning dreary singer-songwriter types have deals and this guy is yet unsigned? On a limited budget he produces better results than many a major-label release. Gronk’s songwriting would fit in anywhere: New York, London, Nashville or anywhere else good music is appreciated. If you are a major label artist and need a co-songwriter seek the guy out. - Dodgeblogium
Discography
'Tricks Of The Light' [2008]; 'The Long Way Round' [2009] - available from www.gronk.co.uk
Photos
Bio
Alex Mounsey, a.k.a. “Gronk”, began writing and recording music at the tender age of nine, and spent his teenage years developing his craft while growing up inside the English boarding school system. Studying in such a strict disciplinarian atmosphere was a powerful experience which provided Gronk with a strong education and a slightly odd outlook on life, as well as a few personal issues that lend his music a healthy dose of introspection.
By the time he was expelled from Eton at age eighteen Gronk had recorded a goth double-album, a synth symphony, two twenty-minute drum ‘n’ bass pieces and a song for every English monarch from 1066 onwards. On moving to London he formed the band Carnival of Souls, whose music progressed from violin-led dark folk to psychedelic dub, finally settling on a more recognisable emo-rock sound before the group split in 2008.
True to his eclectic, slightly manic track record, Gronk switched direction yet again, releasing a synthetic pop album from his website before heading to the USA with $99 and a laptop. There he hooked up with a saxophone and marimba player, and made the first few recordings for what would become new album 'The Long Way Round', which was released from www.gronk.co.uk on 1st December 2009.
'The Long Way Round' mixes elements of soul, blues and country into a summery rock sound influenced by Gronk’s recent travels on the east coast of America. ‘Good Morning Carolina’ and ‘Wanderlust’ take in sunrise and sunset on the Outer Banks; ‘Going To The Festival’ is a Nashville pastiche with rootin’-tootin’ horns; ‘Sixes & Sevens’ documents the transatlantic flight from hell. Only the title track offers the usual Gronk element of introspection, addressing the struggle to stay afloat in normal life that can sometimes seem insuperable.
Gronk recorded and produced the album on a laptop in London and New York, playing most of the instruments and enlisting help from friends and drum machines when needed. To recreate the songs live he has formed the Body Doubles, an eight-piece rock ‘n’ roll band complete with trumpeter and female singers, which is currently gigging in noted London venues including the Barfly and Water Rats. Gronk and the Body Doubles will head into the studio to record an EP in October.
That Gronk and the Body Doubles already have new material is a testament to their leader’s restless creativity and relentless, infuriating genre-hopping. In fact, new solo demos, already surfacing at www.myspace.com/thegronk, have the kind of lonely chill-out dance sound normally found on a Warp Records release. In other words, different again.
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