Vetiver is the project of Andy Cabic, one of the founders and operators of Gnomonsong. Nearly two years on from the release of Vetiver's highly-acclaimed second album, To Find Me Gone, their latest single and first for Gnomonsong is a stunning 12-inch featuring remixes of two of that album's tracks, a different direction and the first project of the year, kicking off an exciting new period of activity for the band. I attach an edit of "You May Be Blue" that I hope you'll post for free download in conjunction with a track review, news story or item.

During the recording and mixing of To Find Me Gone, Andy Cabic and producer Thom Monahan talked about doing something more "deconstructive and electronic" than they had previously done with Vetiver. The two tracks they picked, "You May Be Blue" and "Been So Long", stood out for various reasons. "The beginning of 'You May Be Blue,' the delayed Wurlitzer organ figure," says Cabic, "on its own suggests what might follow could be quite different from the song that does....[It also] promises some kind of electronic shuffle, and the remix is an opportunity to follow through. My favorite parts of 'Been So Long' are the harmonies of Nathan, Rachael and myself, and I wanted to create an instrumental drone dub version of that song which focuses on the backing harmonies."

Vetiver Upcoming Shows/Concerts/Live Concert
Mar 16 2008 8:00P
Showbox Seattle, Washington
Mar 17 2008 8:00P
Richard on Richard’s Vancouver, British Columbia
Mar 18 2008 8:00P
Wonder Ballroom Portland, Oregon
Mar 20 2008 8:00P
The Fillmore San Francisco, California
Mar 21 2008 8:00P
El Rey Theater Los Angeles, California
Mar 25 2008 8:00P
State Theater Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mar 29 2008 8:00P
Mr. Small’s Theater Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Mar 30 2008 8:00P
Mod Club Theatre Toronto, Ontario
Apr 1 2008 8:00P
Somerville Theater Somerville, Massachusetts
Apr 2 2008 8:00P
Town Hall NYC, New York
Apr 4 2008 8:00P
Cat’s Cradle Carrboro, North Carolina
Apr 5 2008 8:00P
Variety Playhouse Atlanta, Georgia

Long-time studio partners, Cabic and Monahan--a.k.a. "Neighbors"--built these remixes in spurts between their busy schedules. After a lot of layering and ProTooling, practically nothing of the original "You May Be Blue" remains; the bulk of the dark and danceable instrumentation consists of keyboards played by Cabic and Otto Hauser, and electronic drums played live by both. Cabic and Monahan also reordered the basic tracks of "Been So Long" and added powerful new droney parts on the melodica and pedal steel by "Farmer" Dave Scher and the breathily intoned flute-playing of Alissa Anderson. Much additional editing wizardry on the part of Monahan helped complete the metamorphosis of these tracks with new, unique characters that sit alongside the original versions.

Vetiver - You [mp3]

Besides the new 12-inch, Vetiver has just finished work on a new album Thing Of The Past (and singles) comprised entirely of cover versions of some of their influences and favorite songs, which is set for release in Spring '08 on Gnomonsong. An album of all-new Vetiver material is also currently being written which will be recorded shortly and is set for release in 2009. The band will be touring throughout the year starting in March with a tour opening for as well as acting as backing band for Jayhawks' leader Gary Louris.

Related links to Vetiver:
Vetiver myspace
Vetiver website/blog