It’s clear that Justin Vernon is done with making anything but the grandest of gestures. In 2013, when musical bombast is the key to success, Volcano Choir show how a little restraint can make their explosive choruses seem even bigger than what most of the mainstream’s stadium rockers have to offer.

This soft-hard dynamic is undoubtedly due to the players involved in Volcano Choir: On one side you have singer Justin Vernon, the frontman of the Grammy-winning group Bon Iver whose icy, sublime sound is all over Repave. On the other hand there’s Collections of Colonies of Bees, a relatively unknown post-rock group who nail that magical foreground between technical proficiency and erudite delicacy. Their combination is a force just as natural as the stormy waves depicted on the album cover: tumultuous, but adherent to a natural order.

Being a Justin Vernon project, the lyrics can get to be a bit cryptic, but his style of lyricism has always put more emphasis on imagery and feeling than overall statement. When you’re making music as majestic as this, a wholeness of feeling is critical. On Repave, every element is in place.

Recommended if you Like: Bon Iver, Sigur Ros, The National
Check Out: “Comrade,” “Byegone,” “Alaskans”