Farmer Dave Scher

Flash Forward to the Good Times (Kemado Records)

By Angela Shawn-Chi Lu
Published: August 23rd, 2009 | 12:02am

Flash Forward To the Good Times, the title of Farmer Dave Scher’s first solo album, pretty much says it all. A collection of lighthearted, happy vibrations, the disc mixes careless "whoop whoops" with jangly, Peanuts' theme song piano. This is California rock mixed with some dork rock and a bit of Jersey rock. Or: Tom Petty, the Barenaked Ladies, and Bruce Springsteen enjoying a sunny day out on a sailboat together. Silly lyrics like “Your landlady is wicked / She’s floatin’ in space,” will likely leave you befuddled, but it’s all in the name of good-natured, kooky fun, which is indicated on the back cover of the album with a picture of what looks to be a stuffed monkey.

Sun-soaked and cheery, these tunes will have both parents and children bobbing their heads in no time flat. A music video for any one of these tracks would most likely depict a family reunion picnic at the park with hundreds of attendees. Uncle Ted, bald and donning colorful suspenders, would be the life of the party, hopping across the grass with the kiddies and walkin’ like an Egyptian to upbeat tracks like “Bab’lone Nights” and “You Pick Me Up,” in which nerdy synths zap here and there, followed by more "whoop whoops," the mimicking of wolves and static in the background.

Indeed one crazy hodgepodge of various influences, "You Pick Me Up," is an enigma comprised of multiple genres. The song also features an offbeat vocalist giving shout-outs to hoods like L.A. and Venice Beach as if he were a hip-hop MC. Next, with added reverb, silly synths, and faux steel drums, the track begins to sound like a poor man’s version of Thievery Corporation.

Much more palatable, though, is the track “Surf Out Sunset,” an even-keeled jam with no real beginning or end. It just fades in and fades out without any climax or distinctive parts, which is OK considering the fine, pretty tune that it is. The singer’s voice shines on this song as he is drowned in reverb, and melodies aren’t quite as challenging as they are elsewhere on this album. With the lovely, nasally, Beach Boy timbre of his voice and a pristine, trebly guitar that plays a pleasant four-chord riff, the song glides effortlessly forward. Forward into the sunset. Forward to the good times.

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