Customer Reviews

Vetiver

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

Cabic's writing is thoughtful, intelligent, of a literate bent and displays somewhat of a European sensibility here, for a folkie. His guitar playing is meticulous, and the recording is crisp without being sterile. One criticism is that I can hear the production decisions made to create a "consistent" album. His strong songs, like "Amerilie" and "Farther On," he stripped somewhat of their negativity and moodiness, adding harp on the former to make it less dramatic, in my opinion. The weaker songs on the album, such as "Amour Fou" and "Los Pajaros" he made stronger by adding Banhardt's backing vocals, but these skate by on feel rather than on their musical merit.
"Arboretum" is the strongest song for him vocally, strangely abundant as he sings "artfully planted with shrubs" giving the song an inexplicable mood of expansion and resignation at the same time.
"On a Nerve," which is almost a bit menacing in its intensity and perhaps references H.G. Wells, showcases strong ensemble scoring. "Without a Song" is simple and effectively touching. Cabic is a capable songwriter and when he becomes new and experimental, it's quite refreshing. I enjoy the blend of folk- based music with different kinds of experimentation here.

The songs are simple and plain. They are bare. The emotional impact is high. There is no trends or tricks here. Andy Cabic delivers great songs simply. He gets some help with an all star cast, but his talent for songwriting, espceially on "Without A Song" and "Luna Sea" is pretty amazing. You should check this debut out.

This CD has become one of my all time favorites. Heart rending, smart original songs, rich yet simple arrangements (guitar, CELLO, violin), great singing and playing. Forget about the so-called neo-folk trend, Vetiver is the real thing (whatever you want to call it)and has given us this enchanting collection of songs.

this is a must have, beautiful cd.

came in good shape, though case was a little bit damaged. that's no big deal since it came across the big ocean.

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.

This is probably one of the best records I have heard this year. Song writing like this is all too rare a thing these days.

I don't get the whole new folk movement. You can't be Appalachian in the modern world. To be a hippie is folly. It should just stop. "Oh Papa" starts off this heaping helping of tonal doody. And it sucks. But not as much as "Amor Fou" ("Crazy Love" in English, and yes, they say both phrases in the chorus to remind you what it means.) Scuzzy beyond belief. That has the same merit as a childrens' music artist singing "Frere Jacques" and some obnoxious teacher interrupting to give the English translation. I can't continue talking about this because I feel a Vetiver movement coming along. And the album should go right where my movement's going.