Michael Ciravolo’s love child Beauty in Chaos is back this week with a new single, Orion. This week also marks the third anniversary of their original release Finding Beauty in Chaos. You can find our review of that here: Wanderings and Woolgathering.

It’s certainly a big week for the Schecter Guitar president, and one worth mentioning for those not familiar with the project.

Michael Ciravolo is known for forming Human Drama in the 80s and later for his time playing guitar for Gene Loves Jezebel. While he still performs with both on occasion, while still managing to run a company, much of his attention now is on his project Beauty in Chaos.

Michael works with his friends like Michael Rozon, his wife Tish, and a slew of artists he asks to participate on the tracks. For me, and the rest of the Wanderings crew, we were thrilled to listen to works from Robin Zander, Dug Pinnick, Ice T, Al Jourgensen and Simon Gallup. But the real beauty of this project is not just listening to our faves, but the introduction to new artists.

I had never heard Ashton Nyte before. After a quick search, I’m suddenly listening to his solo work and his music with the Awakening. Kat Leon has become a favorite of all of us on the pod. We love her voice and her vision with Holy Wars. And, I’ve really come to appreciate Wayne Hussey. He has an wisened, grizzly voice that begs for attention.

So, who does Michael highlight on Orion? It’s Whitney Tai. Tai has two albums: Metamorphosis in 2015 and Apogee in 2020. She has a beautiful voice that soars when needed, but can equally nail the quiet moments. Her albums tend to lean more pop than the usual Ciravolo choices for vocals.

So, what do Ciravolo and Rozon do? They tone down the guitar; it’s subtle here. It gives way to some texture and mood. Tish, too, is dialed back on bass. Instead, they allow Tai’s voice to breathe here and take control of the song. That’s not to say that the music isn’t solid, because it is. Ciravolo provides his usual post-punk guitar sound while also adding a tasty break near the end with percussion moving to the forefront while he provides clean notes alongside. Tai rides the wave here with her lyrical-less vocals soaring above the whole. Great choice to use actual drums rather than electric drums here.  The song works because the Michaels know how to highlight Tai’s talent while playing to the groups own strengths. That is why this project is so successful- great musical choices.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the video. Michael may be the most down to earth guy, but he can still play the music star when he needs to. The video is polished and feels like Hollywood. Great visuals, composition and fog giving way to a first person camera moving through a chess set. Like the song, the video highlights Tai front and center. Song and video are a great marriage.

It’s nice to hear the band back with another outstanding track for what will hopefully be part of their fourth album. What Michael Ciravolo is doing here is worthy of your attention. If you haven’t checked them out, go back to the beginning and listen through to Orion. You will enjoy the ride. For more music reviews, check us out: Wanderings and Woolgathering.