circle of willis

Fractures In The Elderly
Reviewed by Peter Winkler.

This is a weird one but not at all without merit. Circle of Willis is an obscure group operating out of a studio somewhere in Jannali, an outer suburb of Sydney. Their enigmatic presence is intentional because the liner notes to the CD are so tongue in cheek as to offer no believable information apart from track titles and addresses to contact a group whose names are only represented as initials (GK, IH, CM and DT).

After being bamboozled by the title (Fractures in the Elderly) and the fanciful album notes (IH is quoted as saying "there is nothing I can do to help myself, let alone others"; a previous CD is supposed to have been called Rectal Intrusion, Cumquat Man) I was ready to dislike this CD as being pretentious. But lo and behold it is actually really very good.

The music is a clever blend of retro rock styles with samples, voice overs from the souul idiom and atmospheric production. It is both old fashioned in that it has some traditional song structures and very contemporary in that it uses drum loops, machinery and repetitive samples to take the listener on a mystery tour which somehow works and is not so obscure as to be inaccessible.

I was ready to simply scan the songs but in spite of myself was drawn into listening to all thirteen (and a 14th mystery track) and enjoying it even more the second time. Circle of Willis are clever constructors of mood and atmosphere and some of the songs are even radio friendly in a late night JJJ sort of way. This is no amateur group. Someone here knows exactly what they're doing in compiling grooves, sounds and vocals that hook the listener into their rather bizarre view of the world.

The use of samples from old songs and spoken word in new contexts is very prevalent here. But outside the legal issues, which remain blurred, the use of these elements certainly work very well on Fractures in the Elderly. The recording of the Baptist Preacher with a soul groove on "Ain't God Good" and the similarly aggressive exaltations in "Sanctify Yourself" are quite a treat. The moody if threatening "I'll be There" sounds like the theme song to one of those serial killer movies we all hate but can't stop watching. Drug references abound (in "Waiting" the repeating sample says "He shall surely be stoned"). There must have been some interesting substances around in the developmental stages of the construction of this CD.

The combination of well constructed lyrics and highly atmospheric music in songs like "Cosmic Timebomb" are really quite transporting in a Pink Floyd kind of way. The CD is both familiar and highly original. There are even some jazzy moments, as in "Whip Bitch" which are reminiscent of Tom Waits in his sound poem days. One of my favourite tracks, "Time Ain't Long Enough" starts with the sampled lines of an African American saying "music must have a purpose" and somehow I get the impression that Circle of Willis do have a sense of purpose and a musical mission even if it is aimed to shock.

It's worth pointing out that virtually all the vocal dialogue samples are of American origins so this CD doesn't have what might be called an "Australian" feel. That probably won't matter to people who are well into the globalization (or Americanisation) of the sonic palette. One other word of warning: while some of the lyrics of these songs speak of spiritual yearning others are quite violent. The female members of my household were quite disturbed by songs like "Cut You Up" and "Biatch".

I'd like to catch up with Circle of Willis sometime. They must be an interesting collection of minds. lf you're into experiencing something strange in your listening, check them out. You may like it. You may hate it. But it's certainly not boring.


		Fractures In The Elderly Reviewed by Peter Winkler. This is a weird one but not at all without merit. Circle of Willis is an obscure group operating out of a studio somewhere in Jannali, an outer suburb of Sydney. Their enigmatic presence is intentional because the liner notes to the CD are so tongue in cheek as to offer no believable information apart from track titles and addresses to contact a group whose names are only represented as initials (GK, IH, CM and DT). After being bamboozled by the title (Fractures in the Elderly) and the fanciful album notes (IH is quoted as saying "there is nothing I can do to help myself, let alone others"; a previous CD is supposed to have been called Rectal Intrusion, Cumquat Man) I was ready to dislike this CD as being pretentious. But lo and behold it is actually really very good. The music is a clever blend of retro rock styles with samples, voice overs from the souul idiom and atmospheric production. It is both old fashioned in that it has some traditional song structures and very contemporary in that it uses drum loops, machinery and repetitive samples to take the listener on a mystery tour which somehow works and is not so obscure as to be inaccessible. I was ready to simply scan the songs but in spite of myself was drawn into listening to all thirteen (and a 14th mystery track) and enjoying it even more the second time. Circle of Willis are clever constructors of mood and atmosphere and some of the songs are even radio friendly in a late night JJJ sort of way. This is no amateur group. Someone here knows exactly what they're doing in compiling grooves, sounds and vocals that hook the listener into their rather bizarre view of the world. The use of samples from old songs and spoken word in new contexts is very prevalent here. But outside the legal issues, which remain blurred, the use of these elements certainly work very well on Fractures in the Elderly. The recording of the Baptist Preacher with a soul groove on "Ain't God Good" and the similarly aggressive exaltations in "Sanctify Yourself" are quite a treat. The moody if threatening "I'll be There" sounds like the theme song to one of those serial killer movies we all hate but can't stop watching. Drug references abound (in "Waiting" the repeating sample says "He shall surely be stoned"). There must have been some interesting substances around in the developmental stages of the construction of this CD. The combination of well constructed lyrics and highly atmospheric music in songs like "Cosmic Timebomb" are really quite transporting in a Pink Floyd kind of way. The CD is both familiar and highly original. There are even some jazzy moments, as in "Whip Bitch" which are reminiscent of Tom Waits in his sound poem days. One of my favourite tracks, "Time Ain't Long Enough" starts with the sampled lines of an African American saying "music must have a purpose" and somehow I get the impression that Circle of Willis do have a sense of purpose and a musical mission even if it is aimed to shock. It's worth pointing out that virtually all the vocal dialogue samples are of American origins so this CD doesn't have what might be called an "Australian" feel. That probably won't matter to people who are well into the globalization (or Americanisation) of the sonic palette. One other word of warning: while some of the lyrics of these songs speak of spiritual yearning others are quite violent. The female members of my household were quite disturbed by songs like "Cut You Up" and "Biatch". I'd like to catch up with Circle of Willis sometime. They must be an interesting collection of minds. lf you're into experiencing something strange in your listening, check them out. You may like it. You may hate it. But it's certainly not boring.