The reason why any genre revivalist succeeds
as more than an outdated tribute to an overdone style is because
of the unique elements and variations they bring to the table.
Let's look at the burgeoning folk scene, for instance. Although
more recently dying down, the past five years or so has been honored
with spectacular folk-revival albums by artists such as Devendra
Banhart and Joanna Newsom. The former introduced a wildly varied
take on organic traditionalist styles, given more modern relevance
by his crooning, unruly snarls and hippie ideals. And the latter
fuses harp-playing, love-it-or-hate-it childlike-yelps, fantastical
poetry and conceptual adventurousness, putting her at the forefront
of ground-breaking music today. "Freak Folk" may have
become a damning tag, but any artists that can fuse such a rootsy
genre with experimental, forward-thinking elements deserve a medal
or two.
With so much competition, Vetiver's self
titled debut album earned itself three. A weightless journey through
a natural yet fantastic terrain, heightened by dramatic strings
and beautifully psychedelic textures, Vetiver is an overlooked
album that still sounds fresh four years later. Sadly, the band
seemed to levitate a little closer to earth for their sophomore
effort. Their influences were a little more apparent and the songs
themselves hinted at more traditional soft rock and country territory.
As a result, To Find Me Gone is a mildly enjoyable yet unessential
album that hasn't aged as well.
So now Thing of The Past is here to make
the band's influences 100% percent clear, with covers spanning
from Garland Jeffreys to Ian Matthews, and Vetiver has become
a significantly less interesting band because of it. Admittedly,
many of these songs are super obscure, so the criticism of "what's
the point?" isn't warranted. And tracks like Norman Greenbaum's
"Hook And Ladder", Biff Rose's "To Baby" and
Loudon Wainwright's "Swimming Song" contain timelessly
catchy and folksy hooks that deserve to re-presented to the general
population.
But Vetiver's true strengths shine gloriously
on the unconventional tracks. "Roll On Babe" revitalizes
Ronnie Lane with a misty weightlessness while "Hurry On Sundown"
illuminates the band's love of jamming and classic rock through
one of Hawkwind's better known progressive southern ho-downs.
They disappointingly remind us that the bulk of the album ditches
these exciting elements for pleasant yet forgettable staples,
void of dynamics, soul or original flair that would warrant a
track to be covered - lifeless renditions of Elyse Weinberg's
"Houses", Townes Van Zandt's "Standin" and
Michael Hurley's "Blue Driver" for example.
This
hit and miss affair is saved at the end by Bobby Charles' "I
Must Be In A Good Place Now"; a beautifully hushed and unpretentious
gospel tune, which makes the album a step above mediocre and even
gratifying enough for a listen or two. But much like Cat Power's
Jukebox, Thing of The Past takes it's name too literally, coming
off as a dispensable relic from the past, and consequently extinguishing
a little bit of the inventive and mystical nature that keeps a
voice fresh and distinctive even in orthodox territory. (Aron
Fischer)
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