Get Real!

As some of you may know, your humble Devil's brother writes songs—many of them pretty damn good—and plays with a band known as Gronk and the Body Doubles.

Here's a video made for It's Not Easy—one of the jauntier numbers* from the forthcoming (self-released) EP, Get Real.



You can hear a selection** of other tracks on Gronk's Soundcloud page.

* Actually, in your humble Devil's opinion, it's a pop treat! However, I might be biased...

** I have 663 songs written or co-written by him in my iTunes. Even allowing for duplicates, live versions, etc., there are probably about 300 original songs, spanning roughly 15 years.

Awa'wi'ya

Your humble Devil is off to Dornoch—some tiny wee place about 40 miles north of Inverness—tomorrow, for his younger brother's wedding.

Given that mobile reception in this place is patchy, I would imagine that internet will be all but unknown—or certainly unobtainable for a Sassenach. And, besides, I shall mostly be staying lightly sozzled for the duration.

As such, I shall be mostly incommunicado—and most probably incoherent—for the next few days.

Have fun while I'm away...

Carnival of Souls: The Evermore Clock

Given that at least one or two people liked the last Carnival of Souls music that I posted, I thought that I would delight those who are interested with the last EP that the band recorded.

The Evermore Clock (And Other Tales Of Wasted Time) was intended to be another 4-track EP, but the band split up before the last two songs could be recorded.

However, the songs here are two of my favourites, and are well worth downloading. They showcase rather well the two sides of Carnival of Souls—the high-energy pop and the dark, introspective side...

1. H5N1
2. The Solomon Clock

An alternative, earlier version of H5N1 was included on Gronk's Tricks of the Light album—under the name Dream On (Hope Springs Eternal) but The Solomon Clock (though a live favourite for some time) was never released.

For those who are interested, The Solomon Clock is a very old, wall-mounted, Dutch-manufactured clock, that depicts the Judgement of Solomon that my grandfather (who was an avid collector of timepieces) possessed and which now sits in my father's house.

My grandfather was a somewhat forbidding character and the clock—with the vignette's moving swords and sceptres—appeared to a young Gronk to chime in the same vein, I think.

In any case, the original recording was done in one night by my brother, and the words—whatever came into his head—were whispered into his MacBook microphone at about 3 in the morning. Most of the words remained in this final release, with only the third verse changed.

Anyway, it's a good song...

Retrospective: Carnival of Souls—Burnt Offerings

A flyer produced by Devil's Kitchen Design (ahem) for one of Carnival of Souls' bigger Barfly gigs.

As regular readers will know, I am a big fan of my brother's music. And there is a lot of it—though none of it "officially" published.

Nevertheless, under the name of "Gronk", I have 468 items in iTunes; as Carnival of Souls, I have 199.

Many of these are remixes, live versions, and other re-workings of variable quality, but I estimate that there are about 400 original songs in this collection—and I know that I'm short a few that he's written this year...

Currently, he writes and records (on his MacBook) as Gronk, and plays live as Gronk and the Body Doubles (here's a short review of their last gig although, alas, the reviewer was unable to stay for the second set).

In this incarnation, his music is more traditional bluesy rock, with a few tracks harking back to his earlier, moodier roots. Here's an amateur recording of The Empty Quarter (the only video that I can find) from a few months ago.



My brother's first band, Carnival of Souls, went through three main incarnations from 1996 through 2006 (I think) and produced some excellent songs and some amazingly atmospheric soundscapes—both live and in their recordings.

Every now and again, I find some song that I haven't listened to in years (or discarded when I first listened to it) and find myself immersed in some epic—such as this eight and a half minute, four movement version of The World Is Bleeding.

Carnival of Souls eventually imploded through a combination of musical differences, personality clashes, and a hedonistic, drug-fuelled rock-star lifestyle with no rock-star income (or even any music deal) to support it. It may be that, one day, they will get back together and play again...

But whilst searching for something to listen to the other day, I decided (for the first time in ages) on Carnival of Souls' last "release"—an EP called Burnt Offerings which, while of more conventional fare, nevertheless consisted of four excellent tracks.

And as I listened (whilst coding frantically), I was reminded of how excellent they were...

The Carnival of Souls fanbase, once quite large for a small band that only once gigged outside London (at Standon Calling), has largely dispersed; most of their music has now fallen between the cracks—which I think is a pity.

So, in the spirit of an historian, if you like, I make my Burnt Offerings (with original artwork by DKD) to the gods of the blogosphere.

1. Embers
2. Just Because...
3. Subject To Change
4. Lilac
5. All four tracks in a zip file for download

I hope that you enjoy the music... and turn it up!

Babybird—Back Together

Your humble Devil was hopping around YouTube and suddenly remembered this song: alas, neither the video or sound are the best, but it's still a great song.



For me, it was a break-up song—sad, yet glorious; melancholy but uplifting. It kept me getting out of bed each day.

That and the drink.

UPDATE: I've also been revisiting some of my brother's older songs, particularly a four-track EP that was "released" as Burnt Offerings—it's really excellent. So, for your aural pleasure, here's Just Because...

Tricks of the Light

Artwork by your humble Devil...

Andrew Ian Dodge reviews my brother's latest download-only album.

Gronk: Tricks of the Light

There is an almost David Gilmor quality to the songs on this album. The lush songs just ooze with feeling and pathos.

It's 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. Wanderlust would be perfect head-phone as you drift off to sleep on an over-night flight.

Should any of you like the sound of the album (and it is really good), it is only available for download from Gronk's website.

I haven't got around to automating the process yet, but you simply pay your £5 (for fourteen tracks) via PayPal, and you will be sent a link to the download within minutes...

Tricks Of The Light

I'm not sure that it's finished yet, but here's the progress so far...


I'd forgotten how much I enjoy doing this sort of thing...

Relax...

Sorry, I'm lacking inspiration at present, mainly because pressures of time are preventing me posting something prolix and insulting; never mind, I suspect that a quiet weekend born of waiting for pay day will provide the required space.

In the meantime, I've not been tremendously impressed with the singles that have so far been released in anticipation of the new Cure album (called 4:13 Dream and released on October 13th. Probably): they all seemed a bit average, with Fat Bob's voice sounding particularly thin and shrill.

However, this live track recording of a song called Underneath The Stars is rather lovely, with the dreamy sound reminiscent of the Disintegration LP.


In other music news, my brother has also sent me some new tracks over the last few months, and I am going to start compiling, and doing artwork for, his new solo album, Tricks Of The Light.

Over the last eight months or so, Gronk has written and recorded about thirty tracks, of which sixteen are on the shortlist—the eventual album will probably feature eleven or twelve of those. In keeping with the mood of Underneath The Stars, here is a mellow Gronk instrumental—A Mist of Stars.

In the meantime, I have been looking at some amazing artwork sites recently—such as PSDTUTS—and realised that I have become very lazy with my art of late. For Tricks..., I want to put together one of the really complex compositions, with tens of layers, that I used to do when I first started this designing lark...

If anyone is wondering at the relative lack of swearing, my current calm is caused by my re-discovery of Centrifugal Force.

Normal service will be resumed in an hour or so...

UPDATE: BBC 2 told me that "Thursdays are funny" and yet now Graham Norton is on. Now I'm angry: they lied to me...

To The Hereafter

Another one of Gronk's songs for you, To The Hereafter. Although the words look a little downbeat, the whole song is actually rather vivifying: so, cheers my dears—here's to the hereafter!

Just keep telling yourself you exist
That the past is not something you miss
That the things that you want may be enough
Just keep telling yourself you're in love

Just keep telling yourself you're in love
Though you know not what you dreamt of
Though there are forces inside you cannot resist
Just keep telling yourself you exist

Cheers my dears, here's to the hereafter!
Don't want to see tears, just want to hear laughter!
No one knows what's coming after
So raise your glass and raise the rafters!

There's no telling what's hidden from sight
If there's a reason we're even alive
We worry and claw at reality's maw
But in truth we're just closing our eyes

Just keep telling yourself not to leave
Just keep telling yourself to believe
Though your ship is on course for mysterious shores
Just keep telling yourself you're alright

But still you think about it
The taste of that final breath
It will take ou your whole life
To come to terms with your death

So, cheers my dears, here's to the hereafter!
Don't want to see tears, just want to hear laughter!
No one knows what's coming after
So raise your glass and raise the rafters!

Just keep telling yourself it's OK!
That the tide will turn for you some day
And your wrongs will be righted
Your path there in sight keeping lion and leopard at bay!

O noble Creator, can'st thou
Wash these seven black marks from my brow
So to liberate me from the chains of the race
Let me gaze upon your mortal face...

This song comes from the album Feared Lost. You can listen to, and download, for free (though donations always welcome!) over one hundred other songs at Gronk.co.uk...