Vetiver reviewed

There’s great temptation to disparage Devendra Banhart while exalting Andy Cabic, especially as one’s direction seems increasingly right while the other appears so temporary.

Cabic’s Vetiver frequently opened for and backed anti-folk darling Banhart on tour, and we wouldn’t know the former if it weren’t for the latter. The latter made his name as the big-bearded jock of neo-hippiedom, whose sidewalk idiosyncracies turned into classic rock indulgence. Vetiver could have performed in drag and still would have seem subdued in comparison, and the pairing with Banhart was kind of like drinking an Alsace wine before scarfing down a bag of chips – the complexities got overlooked. Tight Knit feels like a fresh start, and Cabic seems to treat it as one, too. Vetiver 2.0 competes with the likes of Josh Rouse and Neil Halstead, on the lighter side of lite with more concern over snapping vs. clapping than nodding vs. bobbing. “Everyday” takes no pains in pointing this out, though “On The Other Side” and “Strictly Rule” provide ample backup. “Down From Above” readily satisfies those of us who smoke our marijuana underwater, but for the most part Tight Knit winds itself up for the mainstream.

—Steve Forstneger