In his liner notes to
Vic Chesnutt's
North Star Deserter,
Jem Cohen wrote, "I make films, I'm no record producer. But I needed to bring these particular people together in this particular place . . . I thought they might hit it off." Despite his lack of previous experience in the recording studio,
Cohen's instincts were right on the money; he teamed
Chesnutt with
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and a handful of other notable accompanists (including
Fugazi's
Guy Picciotto,
Bruce Cawdron of
Godspeed! You Black Emperor, and
Chad Jones and
Nadia Moss of
Frankie Sparrow) for sessions at Montreal's
Hotel2Tango Studios, and the result is a truly extraordinary recording.
Chesnutt is a songwriter of singular talents, embracing a homey but keenly intelligent expressionism in his songs that conveys a genuine, often touching humanity, but his collaborators on
North Star Deserter have taken his music in a powerful new direction. Rather than simply filling out
Chesnutt's melodies, these musicians have crafted soundscapes that often turn these songs into great chaotic symphonies, with
Chesnutt's simple but confident acoustic guitar anchoring the whole. Sometimes the accompaniment is simple and subtle, as on
"Warm," "Over," and
"Rattle," while elsewhere the musicians truly do resemble an orchestra; a small string section adds an air of ominous grandeur to
"Glossolalia," a mighty organ brings striking dynamics on
"Everything I Say," a mass of harmonies and reverb-soaked guitar meshes gloriously with
"You Are Never Alone," washes of sound ebb and flow through the atmospheric
"Rustic City Fathers," and the ensemble rises into a glorious fusion of beauty and noise on
"Debriefing" and
"Marathon." On
North Star Deserter, the musicians working with
Vic Chesnutt serve as collaborators rather than simple accompanists, and they've truly brought out the best in one another; this is powerful, adventurous music that's as challenging as it is beautiful, and ranks with
Chesnutt's finest work to date. ~ Mark Deming
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