Tight Knit

Entertainment Weekly (p.57) - "[T]he music's unexpected twists and turns make you feel like you're the one who's fallen into a pleasant dream." -- Grade: A- Uncut - 3 stars out of 5 -- "'Down From Above' has cascades of spangling acoustics and a dreamy, socially sculpted atmosphere..." CMJ - "The album, seamlessly transitioning between surrealist lullabies, playful, bobbing folk ditties, and bohemian berceuses, evokes the feeling of being gently rocked by the ocean waves." Q (Magazine) (p.111) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t's their most melodically accomplished and wide-ranging effort yet....The delicate arrangements provide an object lesson in the virtues of understatement." Mojo (Publisher) (p.107) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "TIGHT KNIT is a beautiful, lazy album of befogged West Coast dreams....Cabic's amiable, balmy voice sings of freedom, escape and...generally not coming back. The perfect getaway." Blender (Magazine) (p.64) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Everything here, from the restrained pedal steel and drifty organ to the lyrics, reflects a gentle informality that has nothing to do with laziness and everything to do with following the flow." Paste (magazine) (p.66) - "Cabic sings with silver-throated vocals and in some ways his songs hang loose....It feels both timeless and anachronistic -- like nature, Vetiver observes its own time." Pitchfork (Website) - "TIGHT KNIT is built with a keen ear for detail, be it a subtle dose of pedal steel or a gently rippling guitar effect, and it features Cabic's most consistently engaging batch of songs to date." Clash (Magazine) (p.111) - "'On The Other Side' has a low-slung drum-machine groove that could have come from a Beck album, while 'Down From Above' gingerly dips its toe into a frosted pool of electronica."

Andy Cabic's Vetiver have never been as far out as some of their indie folk compatriots like Devendra Banhart, and they've never been as outside as some of their influences (as detailed on 2008's album of covers Thing of the Past) might lead you to believe. Instead, their gentle, almost classic rock smooth sound is something you could play for just about anyone and not have a single eyebrow raised in any degree of alarm. That being said, Tight Knit is the group's slickest, tightest record so far. From the opening ballad "Rolling Sea" onward, Cabic and crew make music that can only be called easy listening. Not the kind you hear in a dentist's office, but the kind of music that makes no demands on you as a listener and just wraps you in cottony coziness. The lush beds of acoustic guitars, the gently swooping electric guitars, the rich vocal harmonies, and restrained percussion serve the tender and vulnerable lead vocals of Cabic perfectly; the simple melodies and drifting chord changes are unchallenging in the best sense of the word. Apart from the peppy, perfect for a soda pop commercial "Everyday" and the almost rocking in a lazy bar band way "More of This," the record is perfectly constructed for lazy days and hazy nights. It takes skill to create a record filled with so little energy and drive, and again, that's not a criticism though it probably sounds like it should be. Cabic is creating a mood here, an ode to tenderness and quiet that never wavers from its aims. Indeed if you're looking for a record to wake you or shake you, Tight Knit might drive you into a fury. If you want a record to lull you and tuck you in with a kiss on the forehead, then you're in luck. It might not be the best album Vetiver have made, but it's the most consistent and beguiling. ~ Tim Sendra