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Record Label: ALLALOM Music
Release Date: Aug. 4, 2009
Thin Skin and an Open Heart, the latest release from Pacifico,
the braintrust of singer/songwriter Matthew Schwartz finds the former
Georgian now happily esconced in Winston-Salem, NC and without a true
backing band. Thin Skin though is lucky in that it features a
supporting cast of stellar musicians, including: Robert McDowell and
Jeremiah Edmon of Manchester Ochestra, Jason Martin of Starflyer 59,
Jason Mask of Gasoline Heart and Steven Dial of Project 86.
The album opens with the thinly veiled opening 90 seconds of
"Prologue," before pushing onto the pop gloss of "Backtrack to Me," a
song with driving guitars and a walloping chorus. And then things head
south. Third track "O, Caroline" and fourth track, "Elliot," are awash
in frail and limp vocal melodies who are drowned out by dense
atmospheric layers and a searching rhythm section. All that changes
though on the sweeping grace of "Friends and Lovers" where midtempo
movements meet with falsetto vocals and Byrds-like riffs. The punchy
and danceable "Stop!" is sun-drenched and caffeinated even though the
vocals aren't entirely audible. Thankfully, Schwartz settles down on
the acoustic and moody "Annie Oakley" which has a decidedly
Beatles-esque vibe and top notch lyrics. The album falls off again when
"Babylon," and "Salvation Army," don't really do all that much, but is
rescued by the autumnal and wistful "We Are The Easily Forgotten."
Melancholic, poignant and bittersweet, the song can arguably stake its
claim as one of the best mid-tempo songs released this year.
Triumphant, hypnotic and powerful, "We Are The Easily Forgotten," is
the kind of song Schwartz can hang his entire career on. Some artists
will write for years and never touch a song as good as this. The tepid
"Something's Going Wrong Again follows," backed up by the spiky rocker
"Shine On," before finishing with the undeniably earnest closer "Close
Your Eyes and Dream"
Now eight albums (including three EPs, a rarities disc and a greatest
hits) into his career, Schwartz is a consistent, hardworking musician
who does it the right way every time out. Despite the fact that Thin Skin and An Open Heart
falls off in places, its positive moments are well worth remembering.
Possessing a penchant for indelible melodies and a keen devotion to
indie, DIY sentiments, Thin Skin and an Open Heart is a
pleasant and amiable record that solidifies Pacifico's place in the
current musical climate: straightforward, no-nonsense indie rock done
created for all the right reasons. When all is said and done, that's a
pretty hard formula to argue with. |