Circulatory System
Inside Views
Cloud Recordings

Having reviewed their debut when it came out, I've now had several months to spend with Circulatory System. It's the kind of album that reveals new depths on every listen. It may be a cliche, but it's true. The record is so densely layered with strings, horns, field recordings, voices and guitars that it's mindblowing to think how Will Cullen Hart put the thing together.

Now, with the release of Inside Views, a CD-R with individual handmade artwork, Will is giving us an insight into the making of his masterpiece. He advises listening to this disc on random play, dipping into the song fragments to get a flavour of the final versions. I can't really recommend this as an album in its own right - it's disjointed, has only a few sections which are recognisable as coherent 'songs', and the meandering is reminiscent of the long, tiresome "Animation" sections off Black Foliage - but it is an interesting 'inside view' into the making of the original.

Quite how Cullen Hart put this new version of Circulatory System together is a mystery. Without the structure of the brilliant songs to tie everything together and layer it with melody, some part of Inside Views are just dull. However, when you hear near-versions of awesome songs such as "Yesterday's World", "A Peek" and "Should A Cloud Replace A Compass?" it allows the listener to appreciate the dizzying complexity of the full songs.

Worth a listen if you love Circulatory System. And if you don't, buy it and then buy Inside Views to further experience Will Cullen Hart's fertile genius.

Copyright © 2002 Tim Clarke