Cover of Vic Chesnutt North Star Deserter
Addison

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For fans of vic chesnutt, lovers of folk and indie music, and listeners seeking emotional, narrative-driven albums.
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LA RECENSIONE

Shame.

Yes, I feel a bit of it. Because "North Star Deserter" I had listened to it once before and then filed it away. Luckily, I revisited it and it was love at first sight. I'm ashamed, also because Vic has so much credibility to spend, he deserved an immediate and more attentive listening, continuous, without any hesitation. Because when he wants to convey something, the chances of hearing a great work are high. Because Vic, like few others in American songwriting, has that magical ability to narrate with three notes and a single instrument, 100 things and more, conveying that inner passion in a visceral and moving way.

The album is difficult to talk about; it's easy to risk being banal, superficial, wasting adjectives. Folk and much more. Reverberations of distorted electric guitars, harmonious small choirs, penetrating drum rolls, and the "sick" voice are the backdrop to the multitude of emotions dispensed with the help of other great artists, including Silver Mt. Zion, Bruce Cawdron (Godspeed! You Black Emperor), Guy Picciotto (Fugazi).

"North Star Deserter" is a heavy, powerful, almost mean recording, so physical that it scratches the skin, pervaded by deep melancholy and suffering. After all, who better than Vic, paralyzed since the age of 18 due to a car accident, ex-alcoholic, ex-drug addict, with various suicide attempts, can convey suffering? But even if what falls from the sky isn’t dirty rain, but is a dense liquid that clings and pervades everything like oil, Vic still has the courage to sing to us that everything is O.K. (You Are Never Alone).

"North Star Deserter", is part of those albums that arrive later, but when they do, they hit hard and in the judgment of the inadequate scribe, this is his masterpiece and, to date, the best album of 2007.

Regards, Addison.

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Summary by Bot

Addison revisits Vic Chesnutt's North Star Deserter and finds it deeply moving. The album is described as powerful, melancholic, and visceral, with rich instrumentation and notable collaborations. Despite its heaviness, it conveys hope and courage. This work is celebrated as Chesnutt's masterpiece and one of the best albums of 2007.

Tracklist Videos

01   Warm (03:00)

02   Glossolalia (03:32)

03   Everything I Say (06:53)

04   Wallace Stevens (02:17)

05   You Are Never Alone (05:45)

06   Fodder on Her Wings (03:12)

07   Splendid (08:29)

08   Rustic City Fathers (04:23)

09   Over (04:00)

10   Debriefing (08:27)

11   Marathon (05:34)

12   Rattle (01:28)

Vic Chesnutt

American singer-songwriter born November 12, 1964, noted for stark, incisive lyrics and a distinctive voice. Discovered by Michael Stipe, who produced his first two albums, he later worked with members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Guy Picciotto. Paraplegic after a 1983 car accident, he released influential albums from Little (1990) to At the Cut (2009). He died on December 25, 2009.
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