Search - Vetiver :: Between Ep

Good

alexander laurence | Los Angeles, CA | 07/21/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Vetiver is a band that has been doing quality music for a few years. Andy

Cabic is becoming quite a distinct songwriter. The problem in the past with

Vetiver was that they were only a San Francisco secret. In the past year they have

been all over the world and have road tested their music. This album has the

maturity and deepness that their first album may have lacked. Cabic has

realized what are his strengths. The first two songs "Been So Long" and "Save Me A

Place" are somewhere between Mazzy Star an George Harrison's "All Things Must

Pass." This is a great summer folk record. "Save Me A Place" is a song by

Lindsay Buckingham, which is a name you hear more and more often. "Busted"

sounds like some cool crazy record you might hear on the radio after midnight. They

include a few live tunes here too. "Maureen" was from a performance in

Bolinas. The only track from the album, "Belles," is performed at the radio

station WMBR. It is amazing. Vetiver gives us a taste of what may come with the

second album. It is a short amazing listening experience.

"

Fate has a way of showing

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 04/29/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Vetiver is perhaps one of the most sedate psych-folk bands you'll ever hear. And between two full-length albums, Andy Cabic and his band turned out a small, heartfelt EP named (appropriately enough) "Between," with a trio of little songs and two live performances.



"I can't believe that you're knockin'/knockin' on my door/oh it's been so long, been so long/fate has a way of showin'/where you belong," Cabic sings over some spare folky guitars and almost imperceptible flicker of keyboard. He sounds both surprised and a little depressed.



He follows it up with the alt-rocker "Save Me a Place," which mingles determined riffs and languid vocals, and the countryish "Busted (Brokedown Version)." And finally we get two live tracks: "Maureen" and "Belle," which sound basically the same as recorded Vetiver songs, but with worse acoustics.



With pals like Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom, Vetiver seem kind of laid back and quiet. They don't have a reputation for quirkiness, any odd sound effects, or anything like that -- they just play pleasant little folk songs, with heartfelt lyrics and solid instrumentation.



Most of the music is formed from folky guitar, which can twang, strum or flow gently through the song, as well as some flickers of guitars, some subtle cello and violin, and what sounds like maracas in one song. And "Busted" has some solid percussion, mostly of the cymbal-tapping variety.



Cabic often sounds like he's locked in a bittersweet dream -- his pleasant vocals seem to drift away in some of the songs. And the lyrics he sings are usually quite solid, but full of the same bittersweet quality: "Don't know why I have to work/don't know why I can't play/turn me off, turn me out/but don't turn me away." He needs to avoid the twangy drawling sound in "Busted," though.



Vetiver kept fans sated between albums with the suitably named "Between" EP, a solid little collection with one less-than-satisfactory alternate version. Worth getting, though!"