Driving through the sparse north Wales countryside seemed an appropriate place to
listen to Vetiver’s wonderful Thing Of The Past.
It reminded me of a similar journey through Wisconsin’s undulating landscape
13 years ago. The title is also a clue. Essentially, Vetiver is a
country band lead by Andy Cabic) a buddy of the brilliant Devendra Banhart
(who occasionally joins them) cellist Alissa Anderson (who adds some divine
vocals too) drummer Otto Hauser, violinist Carmen Biggers, guitarists Kevin
Barker and Sanders Trippe and bassist Brent Dunn.
Thing Of The Past is respectfully dedicated to Cabic’s heroes, as he
unearths songs which might otherwise have been well forgotten from the late
'60s to early '70s. For this reviewer alone, it’s brought a great deal of
pleasure and it will to you too.
For some fans it might be considered a retrograde step – not at all.
It might prove, in the future, to be inspirational for them, and others – music
lovers. It does take some courage attempting a covers album, but when you’ve
got top class production by country specialist Pernice Brothers’ Thom Monahan,
it helps. They stamp their ideas perfectly with acoustic lead rambler Houses
by forgotten Canadian Elyse Weinberg followed by Daryl Adams’ gorgeous drifting
swing Roll On Babe.
When they hit Sleep A Million Years by Dia Joyce, (recorded some 40
years ago by obscure artist Kathy Heiderman), featuring musical stable-mate
Yashti Bunyan’s sublime vocals, they strike gold. Matthews Southern Comfort’s
1970 track from Later That Same Year – Road To Ronderlin – is a
quaint and delicate ballad, beautifully handled.
The biggest surprise is choosing a song by Brit space-rockers Hawkwind – Hurry
On Sundown (1970), though their cover makes absolute sense because the
original, a lightweight rocker by their standards, is a great song featuring
rasping countrified-blues harmonica. Vetiver simply make it their own due to
the exquisite country credentials, retaining the romp, making it the most
exhilarating of them all – pure brilliance.
More class ensues on Loudon
Wainwright’s The Swimming Song, covered by Kate and Annie McGarrigle,
retaining the rootsy/bluegrass feel, though without the original’s gusto.
Another major highlight is Cabic joined by writer of Blue Driver – 67 year-old
Michael Hurley on a groovy country boogie.
Standin’, by enigmatic country legend Townes Van Zandt is a smooth ‘chuggernaut’
and great follower-on to Blue Driver. And finally, where it all began.
Bobby Charles’s sublime lo-fi ballad, I Must In A Good Place Now … "Apple
trees blooming all around / I must be in a good place now / Sunshine coming /
A rainbow colored sky" summed up my time and place on the road home.
1. Houses
2. Roll On Babe
3. Sleep A Million Years
4. Hook And Ladder
5. To Baby
6. Road To Ronderlin
7. Lon Chaney
8. Hurry On Sundown
9. The Swimming Song#
10. Blue Driver
11. Standin’
12. I Must Be In Good Place Now
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2008.
