Vetiver - The Errant Charm

This album is great for walking around campus, driving the streets with the windows down, or sitting in a living room absorbing the vibes. The tone is one of meandering melancholy, though not downtrodden in the least. Songwriter and bandleader Andy Cabic handled each of the compositions brilliantly, often complementing his ambient guitar parts with cool, collected keyboard sounds, propelling the track ever-forward with ebullient (read: peppy) drum machine loops. The lead guitar parts are reserved, but sweet, melodic, and pleasing when they top the mix. There are vocal harmonies abound here, but never layered too densely. As the album progresses, it moves from a sound of idling idyll into a driving midsection of (relatively speaking) steadily heavier jams until “Faint Praise”, where Cabic pulls his ambient guitar picking down from the clouds in a contemplative mood, leading into the album closer, “Soft Glass”. This final track is a nice showcase of both the folk rock roots and the more explorative arrangements. This recording is a mature work with a refined sound, and an excellent collection of songs, so have no fear loading this into a CD deck at the station or your personal music library.