To Find Me Gone

Vetiver (aka Andy Cabic) has been fairly and unfairly aligned with the media-tagged ‘Freaky Folk’ movement led by Devendra Banhart. While Cabic works with Banhart as a member of his touring band and can be found in many of their collective photographs, Cabic’s own music hardly qualifies as freaky – unless quiet, meditative numbers supported by gently finger-picked guitars and sleepy, sawing cellos are somehow unusual. <i>To Find Me Gone</i> is Cabic’s second full-length album and delivers a definite early ‘70s southern California singer-songwriter vibe. The slide guitar of “I Know No Pardon” is pure country rock. The murky night sky gaze of “No One Word” is a Nick Drake pipedream. “Idle Ties” works a Ray Davies soft shoe. Cabic never raises his voice above a gentle croon, settling into a near whispered groove that gives listeners the impression that they are eavesdropping on these tunes more than listening to them. This unusual level of intimacy makes these songs of longing and absence particularly affecting, but their non-imposing demeanor also places them in danger of being quickly dismissed. There’s a subtle grace at work here.