Vetiver, the San Francisco alt.folkster’s
named after a perennial grass of the Poaceae, are back with a
12” remix release which see’s the band move into hazy
yet oppressive, electronica-based territory. Two years after the
release of ‘To Find Me Gone’, rumors where starting
to spread about the bands next move and a remix project was often
talked about. This release marks the start of a flurry of activity
for the band which will see them touring and releasing in the
spring as well as releasing a cover-versions album and writing
tracks for another album penciled in for 2009.
This two track, 14minute release see’s Vetiver
mainman Andy Cabic team up with Devendra Banhart’s producer
Thom Monahan, to create a sound which is more deconstructive and
electronic. The first track, ‘You May Be Blue’ was
chosen for a number of reasons including the delayed Wurlitzer
solo at the beginning and the tracks promise of an electronic
shuffle. The result is a piece of shuffling and extremely atmospheric
mutant-disco which is oozing with a thick gooey ambiance. The
smokey vocals are delayed, stretched and embossed into the rich
instrumental tapestry which features a steadily thumping beat
underlining a harmonious soup of droning and elongated melodic
textures. The track starts to drive forward (slowly) with a wave
of progressively developing beats and ever-oscillating synths
which expand into an infinite horizon. The result is akin to a
drug-addled fusion of Air, Massive Attack and Goldfrapp!!!
On the B-Side, ‘Been So Long’, listeners
are welcomed into a psyched out and murky, tropical-jungle underworld,
thanks to the addition of powerful droney parts on the melodica
and pedal steel by Farmer Dave Scher, and the breathily intoned
flute playing of Alissa Anderson. Cabic’s ambition with
this track was to create an instrumental drone dub version which
focused on the backing harmonies, and his ambitions have certainly
been met, if not surpassed. The track to’s and fro’s
between deep and humid ethnically charged vibes, and drawn-out,
whipsy harmonies. The latter acts as a focus-adjustor, bringing
a sense of clarity to proceedings, before being blurred out again
by the reverberating hand drums and droning wind instruments.
These two tracks have been completely reshaped,
thanks to mass-layering and pro-tools trickery, and bear little
resemblance to the originals. If you are a fan of the band and
want to see how they have broadened their horizons then this little
12” will make a welcome addition to your new year playlist.
If you’re a fan of moody shoe-gazing electronica then this
release will be right up your street too. All in all, this is
a nice experiment by Cabic and Monahan (aka Neighbors) and an
EP or LP of remixes would be looked forward to by this reviewer.
(RM)
For
fans of: Air, Fourtet, Ladytron
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