Vetiver

With the resurgence of vinyl now seemingly sweeping the music industry, it stands to reason that young musicians with an eye for finding gems in their neighbourhood second-hand shops are going to shed some new light on releases that were originally passed over by the early ’70s rock intelligentsia. That seems to be exactly the case with this latest release from San Francisco psych folkies Vetiver, which largely consists of ultra-obscure singer-songwriter covers culled from a box of records that landed in their possession. And since most of the tracks will be unfamiliar to even the most die-hard fanatics, it’s easy to immediately get lost in the band’s warm and intimate treatment of the material. A guest vocal appearance from Vashti Bunyan on "Sleep A Million Years” is an obvious nod to one of their chief inspirations, but everywhere Vetiver show incredible reverence for the unique musical era these songs represent, especially heard on the Bobby Charles classic "I Must Be In A Good Place Now,” which closes the album. While most cover collections beg you to search out the original versions, Thing Of The Past stands on its own as a worthwhile contemporary achievement.