Dark Developments in Bloomington, MN

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
's excellent
The Salesman and Bernadette
(which he recorded with
Lambchop
as his backing band),
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.
's bright semi-
psychedelic
pop
instincts brighten the corners of
's sometimes dour melodies, and
's playfully expansive, literate songs encourage the band to add some deeper sonic colors that wouldn't normally make their way into their work.
also finds
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
.
is a more approachable album than
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,"
"Bilocating Dog"
are sterling examples of
's singular lyrical perspective, but the members of
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
,
, or smart and adventurous
music in general should put this one on their shopping lists. ~ Mark Deming