Vic Chesnutt and Elf Power

A tuneful collision of Athens institutions finds fruition this fall when Orange Twin releases Vic Chesnutt’s collaboration with Elephant 6 psychsters Elf Power, 'Dark Developments'. 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.

Vic Chesnutt’s songwriting retains its trademark literary bent, as a tune like “Stop The Horse,” or the withered gallows-stroll of “The Mad Passion of The Stoic” flash the narrative weight, sturdy construction and lexical mystery of a long lost Raymond Carver story. And Chesnutt can still woo you with the odd, beautiful chord-change, the compelling melody and the strange sonic turn in the road. Album opener “Mystery,” moves from a desperately wordless lullaby into a torchy, fragile folk-waltz and back again in about three minutes time, all the while supporting an intuitive rumination on loss and the passage of time. There’s a reggae stutter buried in the bridges and verses of “Teddy Bear,” an oddball keyboard vamp suturing them all together, and a chorus of strange beheaded whispers orbiting just outside the elemental and poignant refrain: “He ain’t never comin’ back.” Again, this all transpires within the pop-sanctioned three-minute borderline, and the song stands as a totem for just how action-packed this record is on all levels.

Elf Power's ninth album, "In A Cave," blasts them past the familiar territories of their previous records and lands them on exciting new terrain. Granted, the Elves' sound is still founded on the bedrock attributes that make them memorable: leader Andrew Rieger's otherworldly lyrical stances, their easy way with melody, and an overall eclectic approach towards making music. "In A Cave" finds Elf Power filtering their powerful live sound through varied, experimental recording processes and approaches; the new album plays like a spirited, exploratory series of treatments on the tried-and-true Elf Power sound.