Review Summary: navigating the ruins
In spite of the many harrowing moments of tranquillity peppered across slow, devastating walls of sludge and fuzz, Big|Brave albums have always felt borderline impenetrable. At the same time, Big|Brave have been one of the most reliably excellent bands of recent times, with each record putting forth a new dose of unsurprising(ly brilliant) soundscapes. This juxtaposition seemed to be headed for a breaking point on 2023’s
nature morte - a project still deeply entrenched in all things overwhelming, but slowly becoming more willing to reveal some vulnerability and glimpses of intimacy. Now, one year later, these cracks are on full display: moreover, they form the core of
A Chaos of Flowers.
That’s not to say
A Chaos of Flowers doesn’t feel like a Big|Brave record: it is still a dark, haunting, and oppressive affair. However, rather than relying on big, intense explosions of sound to convey emotion, its eight tracks shift focus to fragile, delicate atmospheres while allowing Robin Wattie’s vocals to assume the spotlight. It’s a dim spotlight, but softly enhancing her more explicitly calm, melodic tendencies allows for incredible contrasts: much of this record feels like a quiet exploration of a loud wasteland, guided by Wattie’s hazily assertive voice. The massive “not speaking of the ways” establishes a blown-out, repetitive texture as its baseline, while sweeping contemplations of destruction guide the song forward. Rather than sticking with this approach throughout, the song’s second half disintegrates: as the noisy wall of sound collapses in on itself, a simple melody remains. It’s a clear melody - not a pretty one; it’s a quietly harrowing melody - not a quiet one.
Similarly, “quotidian : solemnity” forfeits instrumental fragility almost entirely, instead encompassing four minutes of noise. Wattie does not follow suit: instead, her voice is sharp and entirely explicit, masterfully achieving hauntingly memorable results with an intensely desolate soundscape. However, this desolation is not persistently mesmerising because of its barren nature on
A Chaos of Flowers - sometimes it is mesmerising because it’s genuinely
pretty. In rearranging the same tools, “i felt a funeral” and “moonset” bookend the record by exploring the folksy textures of The Body and Big|Brave’s collaborative project
Leaving None But Small Birds. Where that album retold and reprised traditional songs, these new cuts are pure Big|Brave tracks, occasionally leaning on classic poetry and filtered through a newfound appreciation of earthy tones and sparsity. Every note feels equal parts intentional and organic, calmly navigating the ruins while taking the time to appreciate their gloomy beauty.
Ultimately, these adjustments to Big|Brave’s formula solidify one crucial thing: their music is utterly captivating regardless of its packaging. Whether the band are demanding your patience in order to showcase annihilation or carefully exploring all that they have destroyed so delicately, there is a devastating quality to each song that is incredibly hard to look away from.
A Chaos of Flowers marks a productive new chapter in their trajectory, sure, but above all, it represents the very best of what Big|Brave have to offer: emotion in desolation, destruction in grace.
