The cheerful Canadian Dino Pacifici is back with a new album, ACQUIESCENT RESONANCE. Though the album's title is hard to spell, the music isn't hard to listen to. Rather than the ambient of his previous THE JOURNEY, "Resonance" is in the a pop music mode - part of that "oom-cha, oom-cha, oom-cha" rhythmic sound euphemistically called "urban contemporary" (actually, African-American pop) music. He features strong dance-style rhythms on electronically generated percussion, and in some tracks Pacifici adds his own spoken vocals, mumbling along with gentle humor. No matter what the genre, though, Pacifici's characteristic warm, summery, nonchalant mood prevails, with its smooth jazz harmonies and his tasteful choice of MIDI settings such as "oriental banjo" or "crystal bell." There's plenty of unobtrusive but flavorful guitar work here, and synthesized jazz-band sounds, too. (A real live saxophonist plays on one piece.) In some of the pieces, he moves into "electronica" with a stronger reliance on synthesizer sounds. But it all moves to a nice beat, which is never too loud or fast - no "techno" exertions here. It's a polished, professional sound, which reminds me of brushed aluminum, white wine, and leather car seats - nice pleasures of an urban environment. Standout cuts for me on this album are the first one, "Dreams in Green," which sets the rhythmic tone and pace for the rest of the album, and my favorite, "Weird Science," the most electronic-oriented piece of the set. This isn't just no-brain bubble-gum pop, though - Pacifici plays ironic little games with his voice tracks. In one, he sounds like the "ominous" voice on a video game, growling "It is time for The Awakening - Free yourself!" In another, he has his voice electronically altered to sound like a "white" Barry White, as he talks about "soul" music and apologizes for not understanding opera - playing with stereotypes both gay and straight, black and white.

So there's a lot to make you smile in ACQUIESCENT RESONANCE - both with words and music. It's unpretentious music designed for fun, light music that's not afraid to be entertaining. Even a spacey ambient fan like me found myself dancing to Pacifici's beat.

I also like the cover and type and packaging on ACQUIESCENT a lot more
than the previous JOURNEY.

Hannah M.G.Shapero
2/8/99