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 Caught in the Carousel "There will be music despite everything"
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Farmer Dave Scher
Flash Forward to the Good Times
Kemado Records
Flash Forward To The Good Times is a cheerful bit of cosmic-surf, like the Grateful Dead with a clearer attention span, or the Beach Boys meets Lost in Space. If you like Todd Hannigan, you should get to know Farmer Dave for his similar surf sound and his unique laid-back trippiness. Farmer Dave Scher is a founding member of Beachwood Sparks and All Night Radio. He has supported other musicians widely, from Jenny Lewis to Elvis Costello. Flash Forward To The Good Times is his first solo CD.
The first track of Flash Forward, "Bab'lone Nights," had me double-checking the package for brownies. Sadly, there was not even a crumb; however, the postman seemed thoroughly grooved. "You Pick Me Up" mixes elements of classic dub with California surf; "We Have a Way" mixes Beatles architecture with lambent polyphonics and the three surrounding tracks fall into a similar style. "River of Time (Diorama)" is a spoken-word guide aboard an astral riverboat; "Finnz Hammock" extends the riverboat ride, but morphs from a traditional country reel into a dub square dance in space, complete with a conversation with Nikola Tesla, a march and arcade games. There's a lot going on here. (And where ARE those brownies?) "Surf Out Sunset" closes the CD by returning to traditional surf-chill territory; it's a relaxing and meditative jam accompanied by the sound of waves, seagulls and whales. I can almost see the sunset.
Flash Forward to the Good Times reminds me of summer and a beachside fun fair. I may survive the winter because of it.
—Lyn Dunagan
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