Even when Beauty in Chaos opts to plough a more considered, understated and reserved furrow, there is still a certain amount of weight and intensity to be found driving the song. Orion is a case in point. It never plays the obvious rock and roll cards, no raucous riffs, no sonic sucker punches, no grungy gimmicks or the sort of grinding of gears that make rock songs sound hard work, as much for the listener as the artist delivering it, but you still feel the impact of the music.
No, Beauty in Chaos, Michael Ciravolo’s revolving door, rock and rollcall of the genre’s great and good, offer something defter. Rather than just turning up the volume, they instead put down tones and textures, gracefully sonics and musical washes, one on the other into gorgeous gossamer layers which when viewed as individual elements are dulcet and delicate but when taken as a whole are every bit as effective as any foot on the monitor bombast.
Whitney Tai’s vocals wander from hushed sensuality to siren-like arabesque calls and Michael Ciravolo offers the response with his slick and selective single note salvos. Basses brood, strings sweep, percussion punctuates and the whole track is a reminder that there is more power in edited, understated, and perfectly poised and positioned playing than in a whole festival’s worth of loud and shouty rock wannabees. Exhibit A – Orion.
[…] and shimmering guitars, to then explode into the euphoric anthemics and raw-edged excitement that Beauty in Chaos has always been so adept […]