CD CHOICE: Tight Knit Sub Pop****

On their previous albums, Vetiver’s association with long- haired nu-hippy Devendra Banhart turned up results that were perhaps too “freaky” to fully engage casual listeners. However, Vetiver’s third album of original material marks a turning point.

This could be due to Banhart’s absence this time around, or the contributions from Shins guitarist Eric Johnson. It could be that their last release, an album of covers that founder and mainstay Andy Cabic credited as being influential on his career, served as a creative rejuvenation. Perhaps it’s something as simple as a turn of the evolutionary musical wheel.

It's not that Tight Knitis easier to categorise; rather that Cabic has used his talents (as a writer of languid folk ditties, softly plucked lullabies and pastoral pop songs) to create a more user-friendly record.

Tight Knitunfurls and engrosses as it winches up and winds down, and warmth and lightness runs through its 10 tracks. Indeed, one feature of Vetiver's sound that hasn't changed is their tendency to emphasise the organic – a quality that has often seen Cabic, and particularly his brittle tremble of a voice, compared to a fledgling Neil Young.

True, there are songs here, (especially the opening track, Rolling Sea, with its languid reverb detail) that doff their cap to Shakey's back catalogue. But there's a broad spectrum of sound on offer: the psychedelic zigzag of Strictly Rule; the celestial, golden glow of Down From Above; and the Wicker Maneeriness of At Forest Edgeprovide sporadic curveballs. Others ( Everyday, More of This) add a dash of pop to Cabic's folk palette.

By broadening their horizons beyond the folk sphere, Vetiver have crafted an album that’s dreamy, delicate and sprightly in just the right amounts. www.vetiverse.com

Download tracks: Everyday, Strictly Rule