Athens, GA isn't that big a town, so it's not surprising that Vic Chesnutt would cross paths with fellow hometowners Elf Power, or that he might invite them over to his house to make some music. What is surprising is how well their styles mesh on Dark Developments, a collaborative album recorded at Chesnutt's home studio. Like Chesnutt's excellent The Salesman and Bernadette (which he recorded with Lambchop as his backing band), Dark Developments is a collaboration in the truest sense of the word, as the frontman manages to bring out something new and richly satisfying in his musicians, and vice-versa. Elf Power's bright semi-psychedelic pop instincts brighten the corners of Chesnutt's sometimes dour melodies, and Chesnutt's playfully expansive, literate songs encourage the band to add some deeper sonic colors that wouldn't normally make their way into their work. Dark Developments also finds Chesnutt near the top of his form as a singer, with his lyrics getting an emotive and well-considered reading that's dramatic but never histrionic, and these songs boast a melodic concision that's a genuine change of pace after the grand-scale structures of Ghetto Bells and North Star Deserter. Dark Developments is a more approachable album than Chesnutt has made in a while, but he's hardly dumbed himself down; this music is as proudly eccentric as ever, and songs like "Little Fucker," "We Are Mean," and "Bilocating Dog" are sterling examples of Chesnutt's singular lyrical perspective, but the members of Elf Power lend an undertow of aural curiosity that's welcoming rather than off-putting, and the result is a small triumph of artfully applied Southern quirkiness. Fans of Chesnutt, Elf Power, or smart and adventurous pop music in general should put this one on their shopping lists.
howdy all! hope everyone out there is having just a lovely day. i know i sure as hell am…. anyway, we finally found a place, and we are all good to go. well, at least on the living situation front. now, we just have to hear from my relocation people. my company is paying for [...]
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howdy all! hope everyone out there is having just a lovely day. i know i sure as hell am…. anyway, we finally found a place, and we are all good to go. well, at least on the living situation front. now, we just have to hear from my relocation people. my company is paying for [...]
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What with the Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise tour coming up on Thursday, I've kind of got E6 on the brain. What luck, then, that Vic Chesnutt and Elf Power's collaborative work Dark Developments should land on my desk? The album is very clearly lead by Chesnutt's songwriting, but that only opens up more doors for [...]
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Vic Chesnutt hits the road Wednesday, Jan. 21, with Elf Power as his collaborators and band. Here's a track off the album, Dark Developments, that they made together and released in 2008.Tour dates: 01/21 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 50601/22 Washington, DC @ Black Cat01/23 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom01/24 Boston, MA @ Middle East01/25 Philadelphia, PA @ North Star01/26 State College, PA @ ...
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From the Village VoiceI love perennially good musicians. Vic Chesnutt just offered up a new track from an album that he made in which he is fronting Elf Power. It's a pretty amazing combination of Georgian indie rock legends, and so far the tracks made available for download have all been awesome.Along with the free track, Chesnutt also did a lengthy interview, in which he said of his cameo i...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Mystery |
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| 2 Little Fucker |
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| 3 And How |
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| 4 Teddy Bear |
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| 5 We Are Mean |
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| 6 Stop the Horse |
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| 7 Bilocating Dog |
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| 8 The Mad Passion of the Stoic |
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| 9 Phil the Fiddler |
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 "Dark Developments")
