Flash Forward to the Good Times is the debut solo album from
Farmer Dave Scher, a pedal steel stalwart perhaps best known for his work with
Beachwood Sparks,
All Night Radio, and
Jenny Lewis. As the album's over-the-top title, song titles ("Bab'lone Nights," "Feel Me Baby") and artwork (the back cover features a sherbet-tinted sunset and shoddy black-and-white cut-out of
Scher) might suggest, Flash Forward is endowed with a heavy dose of ironic detachment. In a lot of ways, Flash Forward is a
Dukes of Statosphear-style tribute to album-oriented rock -- and maybe even to the general idea of a summer album. Giving a nod to acts like
Joe Walsh,
Todd Rundgren, and
Ian Hunter at their biggest, smoothest, and most dude-tastic,
Scher piles on the sleek guitar stylings (including some really choice faux seagull effects on the title track), cheesy lyrics ("Look out to the horizon, baby/ Here it comes/Our love is a wave..."), and lush multi-instrumental flourishes you'd expect from such an endeavor. The main problem with Flash Forward has to do with
Scher's intent: is this really comedy rock? The thing is,
Scher is so deft at making musical references, and is such an intelligent musician to boot, Flash Forward often sounds like it should be taken seriously -- even if the lyrics are a little silly. Ultimately, Flash Forward really shines when
Scher stops joking around and gets poignant, especially on "Surf Out Sunset." The track's gentle guitar strums (reminiscent of the world-weary
Harvest-era
Neil Young), washes of reverb and pedal steel offer a smooth counterbalance to
Scher's scratchy, wobbly falsetto, and the whole thing comes off sounding something like a cross between
Beachwood Sparks,
Bon Iver, and
Miracle Fortress. It's luminous, laid-back, and built on the kind of end-of-summer wistfulness that sticks to your guts long after the album is over. ~ Margaret Reges