Between - EP

Album Review

The acoustic alt-pop outfit Vetiver is essentially a one-man band, as a gentleman named Andy Cabic handles the songwriting, singing, and guitar-strumming responsibilities. Rather than following up Vetiver's 2005 self-titled debut with another full-length, the San Francisco-based outfit opted to issue a five-song EP next, 2006's Between. It appears to be a mini "odds and sods" deal, as Between contains three tracks that were recorded at Cabic's home ("Been So Long," "Save Me a Place," and a "Brokedown Version" of "Busted"), plus a track recorded live on-stage ("Maureen") and another taken from a taping at radio station WMBR ("Belles"). Although all the tracks were recorded in the early 21st century, there is an unmistakable '60s folk vibe that carries throughout all the tracks. In fact, Tim Buckley's early acoustic direction (especially circa 1966's Tim Buckley) is a fair comparison to such tracks as "Been So Long" and "Belles," from both a musical and vocal standpoint. Between may come off sounding "retro," but making music that sounds like the renowned acoustic-based artists of yesteryear certainly isn't one of Cabic's main priorities — rather, his principal strengths lie in penning tunes that manage to be fragile, stripped-down, and engrossing.