WK1 - Chester French - Love the Future (7)

Released - 4/21/09

Label - Star Trak / Interscope Records

BLURB - Good, not great. Wacky, pop-indie duo covers all genres, but fail to create an identity for themselves. If nothing else, it is a uniquely entertaining, albeit ephemeral, listen.

Rating: 7 out of 10

FULL STORY - So a co-worker of mine got me into this group. She invited me to see this 'Rock Duo' that was recently signed to Pharrell Williams' label - Star Trak. Being the huge N.E.R.D. fan that I am, I thought this was probably going to be some upbeat indie band, but with sick beats - maybe like an MGMT but with normal looking people, doing normal people things (see also - not wearing war makeup and feathers). So their debut record hit 4/21/09 and I picked it up during my lunch break so I could hear what they sounded like before I went to see them. Keep in mind, up until this point I have never even heard of them. From the reviews and bios that I was able to glance at, everything suggested CF was pretty much this quirky, nerdy, indie outfit. After listening to the record probably about twenty times and seeing them do a live acoustic set in the Lower East Side, that's exactly what they are. No more, no less.

What's unfortunate with the record though, is that with the tagline of being the quirky, indie duo from Harvard, there is this inherent pressure to create a quirky, indie sound. Don't get me wrong, I actually like the album and it's received a slew of positive reviews from major sources, but the music is all over the place. The diversity of this record ultimately makes and breaks it. With every track varying in genre, style, instrumentation, production and feel, the listener is initally lured in - but can never stay. It's almost like Chester French was trying to accomplish too much, too quickly. I'm reminded of being in tenth grade and having the assignment of writing a short story for an English class. While I was writing it, I came up with all these self-conceived, profound ideas and I thought it was the greatest thing Mr Kleist's 2nd Period Class would ever see. I ended up creating a twenty-five page monstrosity that came from thirty different angles, developed thirty different characters and was drowning in a sea of 'clever' plot lines and themes.

When in doubt, simplify. With that being said, it's natural for me to compare and contrast Chester French with two of my favorite quircky, indie acts...Vampire Weekend and Ben Kweller. Both acts are huge nerds. Anyone that thinks Vampire Weekend is a 'cool' name for a band definitely lived in their parent's basement at one point in their life. And if you have ever seen a picture of Ben Kweller, he looks exactly like a kid you and your friends used to steal milk money from in high school. While both VW and Kweller are definitely quirky and unique, they have a distinct feel to them and know how to develop their sound in a manner that can evoke both emotion and intrigue without becoming too cluttered. For Chester French's - 'Love the Future' it almost seems like a varied collection of pretty good ideas. I think if they took any one of their songs and approached recording an album in that specific vein, they would absolutely knock it out of park. Don't be fooled...for as convoluted as this album is, the songwriting, instrumentation and creativity are off the charts.

Tracks:

1.) Introduction

2.) C'mon (On My Own)

3.) Bebee Buell

4.) String Interlude

5.) The Jimmy Choos

6.) Time to Unwind

7.) Fingers

8.) Country Interlude

9.) Beneath the Veil

10.) Neal
11.) Not Over You

12.) She Loves Everybody

13.) Sleep