Following the release of last year's Thing of the Past, Vetiver offer up another collection of folksy American numbers in their forth full-length release to date, Tight Knit. Thing of the Past was a collection of cover songs from the late-sixties / early-seventies that tapped into the deep catalogue of singer Andy Cabic's inspirations and unsurprisingly Tight Knit distils these influences into his own unique aesthetic. Cabic's impressive record collection combined with his knowledge and appreciation of folk and classic rock mean that Tight Knit is more about refinement than reinvention as it continues where the debut LP To Find Me Gone left off.Album opener 'Rolling Sea' is a tender slow-burner, the gentle acoustic melody and crisp symbols accompany Cabic's soft and slightly gritty voice. Following track 'Sister' has more of a lo-fi psychedelic sound, as the bass line bops along lightly to Cabic's smooth and simple lyrics. The expertly woven guitar and sunny melody of 'On The Other Side' are instantly catchy, whilst songs such as 'Down From Above' are more richly layered and like much of this album its' lilting melody reveals its' subtleties and nuances with repeated listens.However tracks like 'Everyday' seem to suffer from the recent influx of acoustic folk, as its jaunty and carefree guitar strums evoke something Jack Johnson-esque. Perhaps that is being too harsh but my point is that, whilst persistence does pay off with this album, many of the tracks just fall flat, just like Cabic's almost emotionless voice. Hazy, misty psychedelic folk works in songs like album closer 'At Forest Edge' with its whispy, sultry Donovan-like call and response vocals but songs like 'More Of This' are pretty much forgettable, if not slightly irritating.Hopefully Tight Knit will silence the voices that assume Vetiver are an unoriginal band clinging to the success of associate and collaborator Devendra Banhart. However, the lack of energy, and of any real personality, means that this record will probably, disappointingly, fall back into the obscurities from whence its influences came. In many ways this in unfortunate; Vetiver's offerings are certainly beautifully crafted and there is no doubt that Cabic is hugely talented but I'm just not sure that I have the patience for this album. 60%Vetiver on MySpace