ALBUM REVIEW: A Chaos Of Flowers – Big|Brave

BIG|BRAVE follow up their brilliant nature morte from last year with the even more brilliant A Chaos Of Flowers which sees the Montreal band reach even higher sonic plateaus throughout its duration – which, going on their stunning past material, is saying quite something.

A Chaos Of Flowers builds on the grandeur of nature morte but does so in the same minimal way that the band deliver so well. It works even better on this record, with the band sounding huge wherever their sound takes them. BIG|BRAVE make music to captivate you with and this modus operandi works so well on this album. The constantly breathtaking vocals of Robin Wattie are as stunning as ever as they soar over the beautiful noise that the band do so well, and the results are spellbinding for sure.

Throughout A Chaos Of Flowers, BIG|BRAVE deliver tender passages which merge with a heartbreaking heaviness that is akin to a something of a religiously cathartic experience. The results are both beautiful and devastating, and this is particularly evident in album opener I Felt A Funeral, third track Chanson Pour Mon Ombré and closer Moonset, while tracks like Theft and Quotidian : Solemnity use devastatingly effective feedback to amplify their power.

A Chaos Of Flowers goes by in a dreamlike state captivating you with its wonder while knocking you off your feet with its force in equal measure. It is hazy and ethereal but also devastatingly stark and heavy and the main thing you take away from listening to this record is just how powerful it is. It sounds rightly huge enough on record so you can only imagine what these huge songs will sound in a live environment and that is a very tantalising prospect indeed and one that will hopefully be fulfilled as the album comes out, as these songs are true forces of nature when it comes to their sonic qualities. 

This is an album that magnifies its fragility but in doing so sounds even more massive and BIG|BRAVE should be given all the flowers in the world for doing just that. A Chaos Of Flowers will rightly see the band praised for the magnitude of this album and the songs contained within. Ultimately, BIG|BRAVE have demonstrated again the beauty of their music and exactly how powerful it can be. Even with just one listen to this record you will be blown away by its colossal sound but stunned by how they achieve this in such a minimalist fashion, and that is something BIG|BRAVE do so well.

Rating: 8/10

A Chaos Of Flowers is out now via Thrill Jockey.

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