Pacifico has existed in many forms for more than 20 years, but this is (I believe) only the fourth full-length for the "band." The quotation marks are there because while every Pacifico effort has featured a full ensemble, the driving force behind everything is Matthew Schwarz. And few have a handle on eclectic pop like him.

Pacifico Self Care (self-released)

This might be the least "one-man" sounding Pacifico set. I hear individual band members popping out in the mix a bit more often. Perhaps its just a brighter feel from the knobs. In any case, there's a bit of the louche in these tight arrangements. Kinda like the 90s meets the 70s, particularly in the guitars.

And, yeah, that's a warm fuzzy right there. Schwarz cuts to the bone, and he doesn't clutter up his emotions with much window dressing. He is almost off-handedly introspective, which can be intense at times. The sound of this album is calm and inviting. The songs themselves can be pretty harrowing.

That's the sort of dichotomy that makes for wonderful music. Yeah, this is a throwback to the days when "alt-rock" mainlined Elvis Costello. Perhaps this is music for geezers. At the very least, it's good music for geezers. I'm good with that.

Jon Worley