Vetiver

Andy Cabic's Vetiver project is often mentioned in the same breath as Devendra Banhart (a close friend and collaborator) and Joanna Newsom, but like those two freak-folk icons, Cabic has carved his own distinct sound from a dreamy foundation of finger-picked guitars and vocals that drift on by like a fishing boat on a warm summer day. Even the band's critically acclaimed collection of covers, 2008's Thing of the Past, has a certain Vetiver stamp to it. That includes the steady strumming and breezy whistling of Norman Greenbaum's "Hook & Ladder," the freewheeling, weightless groove of Derroll Adams' "Roll On Babe," and the sun-baked banjo of Loudon Wainwright III's "The Swimming Song." As for Cabic's own cuts, they're often ten seconds away from putting you into a Zen-like trance, whether it's through the wailing lead guitar and warm organ hum of "I Know No Pardon" or a cloud-gazing duet with Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval on "Angels' Share."