There is a pleasantness of David Raine in his Pollack Splash that simply envelops you at first. It has this indie heart beating in its heart, but a brightness is overlaid on it making everything somehow light, and making it feel very introspective and tenderly optimistic at the same time. It is, according to Raine himself, not to face the events of life squarely, and to be quite honest, you can feel that unpolished, rough-cut fact in every single note.
The acoustic guitar performance is truly expressive, and it carries the emotion with this quiet confidence that does not seem imposing and demonstrative. It is Raine though that really gets me–not his lyrics, but his vocals, which are more than just disarming with this sincerity that he exudes, as though he were sitting across the table, telling you something personal that he has always been holding on to so long. His overlay in subtle electric guitar and percussion is really deep without ever overwhelming the closeness of it all. Everything is breathing all right, you see?
The most interesting aspect to me is that the production is able to remain intimate. It is smooth enough to be considered fairly professional, yet it has not become one of those that have been polished to death and have lost all their rough and natural side that allows each emotion to be seen through the windows. This is with a melancholic undercurrent but it is not oppressive or heavy-handed but rather that reflective mood you slip into when you are handling a hard thing yet beginning to make sense of it.
According to Raine, his objective is to make a music that allows you the opportunity to reflect on yourself, and “Pollack Splash” hits that nail on the head. It is cinematic in its provocation to daydream, to go wandering in your own memories and emotions as his play. The song is easy to remember as it is so real, so human in recognizing that life is a mess and we are all just trying to make it out as we walk through it. Captivating stuff, really.