Vetiver: Tight Knit (Bella Union, 2009)
Last year I fell in love with Vetiver after hearing their wonderful cover album Thing Of The Past. It’s like the finest cover album ever and it introduced a lot of brilliant music to me. I’ve bought albums like Loudon Wainwright III’s Attempted Mustache and Bobby Charles self-titled album because of that record. And well obviously the older Vetiver albums too.
This new album Tight Knit arrived in february 2009 and now the band is back making their own music. It still sounds a lot like a thing of the past and that’s only a great thing. Andy Cabic has such an amazing gentle voice and the songs sound oh so subtle and heartwarming. The first trio of songs Rolling Sea, Sister and Everyday is just pure magic. Beautifully arranged and carefully played folk music that is so rich and simple at the same time. Vetiver takes you on a trip to the seventies west coast where some guys are playing folk and country rock songs on the back porch of an abandoned building and the audience is lying on the ground eight miles high. Unlike a lot of my favourite bands that play slow folk and country music, Vetiver’s music isn’t depressive at all. Warm is the best adjective to describe the music. This is the music that will keep my heart warm when the long winter gives its coldest shots. The second half of the album don’t reach the same level as the first one though and that’s why I have to settle for four hearts.
