chaosisntsingleDespite willingly existing in musical obscurity, Chris Weisman is probably one of the most active songwriters out there. Going on tours and engaging in interviews is a rarity for him, and his online presence is non-existent at best, yet he holds under his belt over a dozen albums full of catchy and moving melodies, clever experimentations, and most prominent of all, smart lyrics that ooze with understanding and honesty.

Chaos Isn’t Single, Weisman’s second release of 2015, offers more songs that switch back and forth between being beautiful in their directness and entrancing in their surrealness. The instrumentation of the tracks here has not changed much from Weisman’s previous releases; his songs are still almost entirely made up of acoustic guitar, with some keyboard and psychedelic effects thrown into the mix every now and then. Fortunately, it never seems as though Weisman needs more than those elements to express what he wishes to say, and surprisingly with so many albums out, it also seems that Weisman still has new ways to say new things. The opener, The Opera is Always on the Table”, is deeply engaging and beautiful, with strikingly open lyrics such as I’m unstable, and so I reach for something that can teach me what to do”, sung over a lightly played acoustic. Other standouts include On Your Sleeve”, which plays out like a minimalistic stadium rock anthem that turns into an abstract drone halfway through, and the eerie spoken word track The Illusion of a Group”. And although these more experimental tracks are spread thin throughout, Weisman’s lyrics alone are enough to make Chaos Isn’t Single a welcome addition to his vast discography.


2015-09-11