Beauty in Chaos’ next record won’t be here until February or March, but never fear fellow Chaosians, Michael Ciravolo and the gang behind Beauty have dropped another single to whet our appetites. Back in September, Orion, featuring Whitney Tai, was released. You can find our review here. Yesterday, the second single dropped. It is called The Kiss of the World and features Elena Alice Fossi of Kirlian Camera, among other ventures.

When this video showed up in my inbox last night, I was elated. I love new music and I love to see what our old Wanderings pal Michael is up to. It does come with a little trepidation because I don’t write negative reviews. Someone else can put negativity in the world. I’m independent and prefer to share all things awesome. Lucky for me, I didn’t have to turn him down. Instead, I get to share another gem with the world.

For those who have followed Beauty over the past few years, this will fill that same niche with that hallmark sound that highlights various singers. This time, Michael has chosen Elena Alice Fossi. Fossi is best known musically for her time with Kirlian Camera, a synthe-pop (for lack of better classification) band that has been around since the late 70s. Fossi joined in 1999 and has been with the band ever since. The band is heavily layered with synthe using Fossi’s voice as a bit of an instrument. Fossi can be tender and soft. She can deliver full, rich vocals to compete with the best pop vocalist. She can be angry, with some grit in her voice. And, the band plays with the vocals electronically. If you haven’t listened to them, it is quite an experience. I recommend I Became Alice off of Cold Pills. 

On The Kiss of the World, Fossi uses her full range against a very different background. Beauty in Chaos does use synthe and some effects to create texture and mood, but is much more guitar driven than Kirlian. Beauty is fresh, but does have one foot in the post-punk movement. Those guitar notes and grooves take me back to Disentegration every time. (And that’s a great thing by the way) After a brief musical intro with soft rhythmic drums and simple guitar notes, Fossi begins singing softly, beautifully while delivering biting lyrics. “If I look at you now that mocking wrinkle takes your face. No, it’s not a simple mark of time. It tells me about your crimes…” This juxtaposition works hauntingly. A woman scorned then belts out the chorus. Fossi here hits those high notes and flexes her voice, only to return to a soft verse to continue the story. This back and forth continues until triumphantly our protagonist in the song, opens her eyes, sees the truth and breaks free. It builds in a way that creates tension throughout using music and lyric to its fullest effect.

With Orion and The Kiss of the World, Beauty in Chaos is well on its way to another fantastic record. Somehow, Ciravolo picks the perfect singer for each song. It is truly a gift to not only find these folks, but to get them to commit to the project. You can tell on each song that there is no coasting. And here again, Elena Alice Fossi delivers an amazing performance to a fantastic song.

For more info on Beauty in Chaos head here.

And now your truth is like snow,
it is melting with every step of the sun
Talk, talk Spit out your side of the story again.
Move your arms with your winning look
I’m not falling for that!

If I look at you now that mocking wrinkle takes your face.
No, it’s not a simple mark of time.
It tells me about your crimes,
tells me about a coward, hidden in the shadow of false clemency,
where you trapped the light under the covers of a golden bed.

Shut up for a moment
and listen to the black muse!
Then break the chains around your dome.
Nothing’s the same, no more …

We were so close at that time.
The days were short and the fear seemed gone.
Hey you, do you remember at the rides?
You were talking about how life is a good cake.

I’d have listened to you for hours
but reality roughly came,
changed the cards on the table,
Nothing’s the same, no more

Now your soul is Satan’s fresh meal, your blood his wine.
You fell asleep in the lost maze of the undead,
where you now lie with everyone else.
And your mask has now lost its thickness.

My eyes see the truth now.
Here’s to you the noose you deserve
or break the seal, break the chains, come to my side
and break the flag of the shallowness.
And break the chains, listen to the black muse

The black muse …

Come back to Wanderings and Woolgathering for more music reviews.