Andy Cabic, haven't I seen you before? Were you perchance a member of Devendra's aptly named Hairy Fairy Band when they played the Underworld Club in Athens about 10 years ago? That's a good credential, so I'll admit I should have delved into your discography earlier. I only did so upon learning you'll be visiting my new town. On their 11/10 Brussels concert, Vetiver got relegated to the small hall of Ancienne Belgique and played to a polite but unenthusiastic crowd of just 60 or 70 people. The band's performance was equally understated, which is not to say that the music was uninteresting or audience indifferent. Rather that their soft rock style does not invite much participation on the audience's part. The setup was pretty basic (just bass-guitar-drums) and Cabic was on fine vocal form, although he rarely raised his voice above a whisper, even when the band fell into a funk groove or broke into a slow chugging boogie. His voice reminded me of someone but I couldn't quite place it. J.J.Cale or Gene Clark or Paul Simon, or all of them at different occasions.
"Errant Charm" is supposedly the point where Vetiver completely abandoned his early freak folk sound for the kind of lush soft rock Californian bands excelled in during the 70's. It's sunny and melodic and makes for great background music, but only rarely grabs your attention. "Ride Ride Ride" is one of the more upbeat and memorable songs, a rocking Velvet Underground-inspired boogie. "Worse For Wear" is another highlight, a sweetly melancholic mid-tempo number with the telling lyric "Happiness is sad". The CD's opening track "It's Beyond Me" is a long song presaging all that's about to follow: ambient synths, atmospheric strings and ethereal vocals. "Can't You Tell" has a more 80's vibe with programmed keys and drums and "Hard To Break" is jangly folk a la Byrds/Big Star. "Fog Emotion" is another 80's - like production that belies its title: with its soft bossa rhythm it speaks more about lazy summer days than cloudy afternoons. "Right Away" is a relatively upbeat song that somehow sounds English to me - it reminds me of a number of indie bands, especially the chiming guitars and feedback during the last seconds. "Wonder Why"on the other hand couldn't be more American, with its Tom Petty guitars, Beach Boys harmonies and clinking pianos. An upbeat number that stands out from the semi-lethargic pace the album sometimes falls into. "Faint Praise" is case in point, an atmospheric but sleepy ballad, of the kind that Mark Knopfler sometimes sang with Dire Straits to show that, in addition to nimble fingers, he's also got a sensitive soul. "Soft Grass" features some ambient synths, folk guitars and whispered vocals. The last two tracks are probably meant to lull you back to sleep after the relative excitement of "Wonder Why" and "Ride Ride Ride". Just like Cabic himself, this album is instantly likeable but, regrettably, mostly forgettable. Nevertheless I find myself playing it rather often, as it puts me in a good mood every time. Which means I've succumbed to its errant charm, after all.
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| Vetiver at AB Club, Brussels 11/10/2015 |
**** for Worse For Wear, Wonder Why, Ride Ride Ride
*** for It's Beyond Me, Can't You Tell, Hard To Break, Fog Emotion, Right Away, Faint Praise
** for Soft Grass
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