Thing of the Past

Performer: Vetiver
Engineer: Adem Ilhan; Thom Monahan
Producer: Thom Monahan; Andy Cabic
Distributor: Revolver USA Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Kevin Barker (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, acoustic 12-string guitar, banjo); Sanders Trippe (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, acoustic 12-string guitar, harmonica); Andy Cabic (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo); Michael Hurley (vocals, trumpet); Otto Hauser (vocals, piano, organ, drums); Brent Dunn (vocals, double bass); Meara OReilly, Abigail Chapin, Lily Chapin, Vashti Bunyan (vocals); Jonathan Wilson (acoustic guitar); Ben Kunin (sarod); Emma Smith (violin); Farmer Dave Scher (melodica, keyboards); Jason Quever (piano, keyboards). Audio Mixer: Thom Monahan. Recording information: Melva, Los Angeles, CA; The Hangar, Sacramento; Werehome, London, England. Though Vetiver singer/songwriter Andy Cabic has been known as one of Devendra Banhart's right-hand men, he mines a far earthier feel than the spacey stylings often associated with "freak folk." Accordingly, THING OF THE PAST serves up a sound not dissimilar to 1960s California folk-rock, but it's also an all-covers affair that factors in the introspective musings of some of the era's marvelously moody troubadours. Tackling material by song-poets both familiar and esoteric, Vetiver brings both visceral snap and obvious affection to Townes Van Zandt's "Standin'," Elyse Weinberg's "Houses," Bobby Charles's "I Must Be in a Good Place Now," and many more.

Uncut (p.109) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The mood is sweet and slightly whacked-out, as Cabic brings campfire cheeriness to Norman Greenbaum's 'Hook & Ladder'..." Magnet (p.109) - "It's saying a lot that the most recognizable track here is 'The Swimming Song,' and it's this curatorial taste of the obscure that makes THING OF THE PAST more than a romp through the campfire favorites you've heard a thousand times." Dirty Linen - "There is a gorgeous cover of Iain Matthews Fairportish 'Road to Redemption'....The album concludes with a faithful rendering of Bobby Charles classic 'I Must Be in a Good Place Now.'" Q (Magazine) (p.148) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The highlight is Vashti Bunyan's lilting guest vocal on the beautiful 'Sleep A Million Years'....As educational as it is delightful." Paste (magazine) (p.65) - "Vetiver unearths gems from long-forgotten artists...[and] smooths out the kinds from Biff Rose's 'To Baby.' Elsewhere, Vetiver trolls deep album cuts from '70s troubadours...yet the whole album sounds of a piece." Clash (magazine) (p.114) - "The clear highlight is 'Sleep A Million Years,' a woozily eerie collaboration with Vashti Bunyan. There's also a pleasingly poppy take on Biff Roses's 'To Baby'..."

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