Dark Developments

Vic Chesnutt

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 14, 2008)
• Original Release Date: October 28, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Orange Twin
• ASIN: B001F0JZV4
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #130,094 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"Because of Chesnutt's idiosyncratic appeal, there is usually something to love on every album. He's an amazing influencer and sponge for whatever group of individuals he collaborates with and on any particular recording session." -- Tiny Mix Tapes

A tuneful collision of Athens institutions finds fruition this fall when Orange Twin releases Vic Chesnutt's collaboration with Elephant 6 originals Elf Power. As intriguing as this combination may seem for hardcore fans of either act, the final sonic results reveal a daunting sum much greater than even the involvement of such esteemed parts would imply. The Elves' lived-in dexterity as a live band goads Chesnutt's vocal delivery to a menacing new muscularity, imbuing this batch of songs with a sinister vibe not dissimilar to John Cale's black classic Fear, the harsh & articulate sleaze of Lou Reed's Street Hassle, or the defeated low-key soul music of Nick Lowe's last few records. Chesnutt's songwriting retains its trademark literary bent--central songs carry the narrative weight, sturdy construction, and lexical mystery of a long lost Raymond Carver story. And as he woos you with his squelched, beautiful melodies, his sonic turns-in-the road take an even stranger tack with the aid of psych-pop veterans Elf Power. Recorded over the course of a winter by Vic Chesnutt and Derek Almstead in Chesnutt's own attic studio, Dark Developments revels in the intimate, home-recorded atmosphere you'd expect from an Athenian union like this. Elf Power's tripped-out pop smarts provide the contradictory musical notions that never allow the album to sway too far in one bleak direction or another: it's that friction extant between Chesnutt's shadowy worldview and the inventive bounce and bray of the band's joyful chemistry that buoys the album, provides freshness, and makes for highly rewarding repeated listening. Dark Developments stands as a classic addition to the legendary local pantheon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not to be missed, December 2, 2008

By	Niall (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

What??? This has been out for almost two months and no reviews?

I thought I had all the Vic Chesnutt releases I needed, having stopped buying them after the release of Silver Lake. But the combination of VC and Elf Power was too tempting. VC does some of his best work in collaboration with other bands and this pairing is perfect.

If you've never heard Vic Chesnutt before this is the place to start.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Album of the Year, December 29, 2008

By	Jason George "Jmutt" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I kept thinking this is the best Vic Chesnutt album since Silver Lake and then I thought, no, this is better. Maybe the best one since Salesman and Bernadette. No, its better than that too. This may be the best Vic Chesnutt album. This is the album I've been looking forward to since 2003's Silver Lake.