Search - Vetiver :: Vetiver

A New Folk Beaut (4.5 stars)

Juan Mobili | Valley Cottage, NY USA | 05/30/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Vetiver's first album is a rather wonderful debut, and possibly telling of a very interesting place for the band in the contemporary folk scene. For what I know, hey hailed from San Francisco and could be considered "psych-folk" kin to Joanna Newson, another young promising artist, and Devendra Barnhart, although not as dark and adventurous as the latter, both of whom guest here along with Hope Sandoval.
Actually, "Vetiver" is the name of an essential oil which is described as "Woody, earthy, herbaceous, spicy almost smoky," which is not a bad description for the overall mood of the songs included here. To this I'd add "tender, hushed, quiet yet not bland."
This CD, impressive for a debut, already shows a wide breadth of interests and a distinct sound, from the zanier "Amour Fou" -not one of my favorites necessarily - to the Spanish-sung- pastoral "Los Pajaros del Rio."
This is not to say that Vetiver is beyond influences, Nick Drake -as much as his name has been an abused reference to most recent folk ... I know- and Vashti Bunyan , or even early Donovan, come to mind easily.
Along with these, "Without a Song," "Amerilee," "Belles" and "On a Nerve" are worth exploring for their diverse beauty. I must say too that I am impressed with how versatile their arrangements can be -using almost exclusively guitar, cello and violin- and the appropriateness of its stripped production.
Actually, going back to the eponymous essential oil, among its possible uses, this oil is supposed to help in healing depression, exhaustion and insomnia. I would not discard the possibility that this music may have similar beneficial effects."

Better than devendra.

theo | Boston, MA USA | 01/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"there, i said it. to hell with it, better than joanna too (but not by much). i think this is the best of the "neo-folk" (lousy label) albums released in 2004. it is criminally underrated.



why? well--people seem to be into shticks these days--we hipsters LOVE quirk. devendra? man, his voice is crazy! he's a crazy hippie! ahhhhh so whimsical. and joanna? she's like an otherworldly pixie! what planet is she from, so full of love? i adore her!



and i do. i love both of those artists. but the reason i think vetiver (whose roster includes devendra but is mostly the work of andy cabic) stands above the rest has to do with their ability to create a perfectly haunting, beautiful folk record WITHOUT the distracting quirk and hijinks. this is a mysterious, seemingly simple collection of songs that allows you to get more deeply personal and introspective than devendra ever will.



without a song. arboretum. luna sea. belles. on a nerve. these are songs that you can hear weave their way through your room/car/headphones. the way andy cabic sings and writes takes the listener to a place of ultimate solitude. devendra and especially joanna come WITH you on the trips of their music--they're your crazy kooky folk-guides. but vetiver sends you on your way alone--these songs, and the delicate, understated voice of cabic, step back and let YOU take the journey.



i love joanna and devendra, but when i listen to them i am unable to suspend my disbelief, if you will. i am constantly aware, and pleased, that i am listening to a Joanna Newsom album. with vetiver, i am immersed in my own thoughts. every individual who listens to this album will gain something different from it. that's the reward of simplicity. have fun. get lost."

Dylan and the Dead for people who don't like either one...?

skytwo | Boston | 06/27/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"No, I've never had any interest in those folks, much to the dismay of many people I've known over the last decade or so. However, when I heard this album I began to think that I might understand what all the fuss was about. Maybe I'm associating them for no particular reason. Vetiver's tracks aren't politically charged, nor are they just muddle-headed dance numbers. Nevertheless, you can really sense that the musicians had a genuinely good time in the making of the album, and were into what they were doing. The sound is simple, clean, and unpretentious-- as are the lyrics. Not too weighty, not too sappy. Just a nice blend of thoughtful music and thoughtful words, with a genuine reverence for the American folk tradition (pre-1940s, specifically).Maybe it's just that these ideas translate a little better to me when run through the wringer of post-rock and 21st century sensibilities, and when stripped of that insistence on faithfully recreating what was already a re-creation of the past. I won't be putting 'Like a Rolling Stone' on my stereo anytime soon, or 'Terrapin Station,' or the Kingston Trio for that matter, but this album feels more like a genuine update of traditional American folk music to me than any of those folks, and Harry Smith can take that to the bank.Did I mention that it has really nice cover art? Well, it does."