Cabic is a mild dictator. He runs Vetiver(www.vetiverse.com) as a loose collective and brings in musicians as required. His last album, Thing of the Past (2008), was primarily an album of Cover Versions. Material from distinctly non-Indie artists like Garland Jeffreys was on the menu and Cabic cited influences as disparate as Ratatat and Gorky's Zygotic Mynci in contemporary interviews.
Vetiver's Personnel Drawn from The Pernice Brothers and Currituck Co.
Tight Knit (www.bellaunion.com) is quite possibly his best outing to date. This time out, Cabic's collaborators include like-minded Indie heroes like Thom Monahan (Pernice Brothers) and Currituck Co. guitarist Kevin Barker. Together, they produce a downhome, but pop-inflected sound that's deceptively easy on the ear but determined enough to ensure the listener 's attention never drifts.
Opening track Rolling Sea gives you some idea of what to expect. The band slip into a warm, friendly groove and Cabic sings with a lived-in and slightly sleepy voice. The music tries on garments from a stall of Folk, Americana and Indie Pop, but it's always honest enough to pay for what it needs.
Vetiver's Andy Cabic Writes Songs Eclipsing Devandra Banhart
This open-ness and intuitive melodic knack ensures Cabic's songs are so much better than most of his Nu-Folk contemporaries. There's none of the kookiness of Joanna Newsom or Devandra Banhart's wilful obscurity. Instead, his pop sensibility proudly presents plaintive, Beatles-style tunes like Everyday or the gently atmospheric Through The Front Door.
There's still room for introversion. The ethereal Down From Above and soft-focus glide of At Forest Edge show Cabic can dream on with the best of them. Technology rarely intrudes, but even On The Other Side's gentle drum loop sounds organic rather than forced in this context.
Tight Knit: Melodic Indie-Folk with an In-Built Durability
Tight Knit keeps its' aces close to its' chest and plays them in succession towards the end. More Of This recalls The Go-Betweens' Grant McLennan and is as rocky as the album gets. Another Reason To Go adds keyboards, a horn section and a sultry groove to the palette. Best of all is Strictly Rule, a great pop song with a lightness of touch that's all too rare these days.
Vetiver's Andy Cabic never feels the need to try too hard. His quietly optimistic songs seem unassuming enough, but burrow deeply into your soul after a few plays. Tight Knit may not be one of the year's more celebrated releases, but its' melodic strength will ensure its' durability in years to come.
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