Slightly ominous as the title implies, Circled By Hounds is really written for the rhythm section; we have a piano trio edition available. This song has quite a few contrasting sections, starting with a 16-measure pedal point intro with the piano soloing. The A section introduces the piano melody, over a bass line mostly in whole notes with a few hits. This section establishes the sinister qualities of the song: a melody that never really resolves, and unusual harmonic structures of mostly sus chords over different roots. (Note that some of these are three-note chords with no 7th.) This A section is six and a half measures, with a 2/4 measure at the end; it's played twice, followed by an eight-measure B section returning to the intro pedal point. The C section, also eight measures, has a stepwise winding melody played tutti with no chords. This melody gets developed in the repeated D section, 10 and a half measures in length with piano melody in octaves over a 2-feel pedal point.
Solos are open, again over pedals; the solo form here is written to reflect the recording, which has only a piano solo, but other soloists could repeat or split this form. It starts over B♭7sus as an open section, moves to another open section on G7sus, and finishes with eight measures of D7sus. Then it's back to a simplified version of the intro pedal for an open vamp drum solo. The out head is only the A section, played twice, and an abrupt coda based on the first two measures of C.
There's a tricky rhythmic phrase in the third measure of the D section melody, with five notes in the space of three quarter notes over the barline. Pianist Marc Seales plays a simplified version of the written phrase both times: four eighth notes followed by a quarter note on the downbeat of the next measure.
Circled By Hounds is the only recorded composition by John Bishop. This album was the first of four by New Stories. The others were all released on the Origin label, which John founded; "
Circled By Hounds" was also reissued on this label.
