Good news on the Vic Chesnutt front. Coming off the heels of his really good release “North Star Deserter,” Mr. Chesnutt teamed up with Elf Power to record Dark Developments.

A tuneful collision of Athens institutions finds fruition this fall when Orange Twin releases Dark Developments, Vic Chesnutt’s collaboration with Elephant 6 psychsters Elf Power. As intriguing as this combination may seem for fans of either act, the final sonic results reveal a daunting sum much greater than even the involvement of such esteemed parts would imply.

Recorded over the course of a winter by Vic 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. And Elf Power sounds characteristically powerful in this setting: there’s the crack rhythm section of Almstead and Josh Lott (making his final appearance as an Elf) to anchor the affair, the subtle and tremulous interplay of guitarists Andrew Reiger and Jimmy Hughes, and the esoteric whimsy supplied by Laura Carter’s improvisational Moog and accordion. Indeed, the band’s famously-honed instincts and Day-Glo 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 Elf Power’s euphonious intra-band chemistry that buoys Dark Developments, provides its freshness, and makes for rewarding repeated listening.

Ever wonder what a Cheerful Chesnutt sounds like? To find out, download this MP3 of “And How”, from Dark Developments.