Farmer Dave Scher has played a pivotal role in countless acts, as a full-time member in bands Beachwood Sparks and All Night Radio and adding masterful pedal steel parts to records and stage shows for everyone from Elvis Costello to Animal Collective. Farmer Dave the Wizards of the West sees Scher stepping into the spotlight, leading his group through a set of loose, wild-eyed tunes that find the intersections of indie rock, cosmic country, and jam band excitement. More straightforward songs like "Chrome Walls" and "Babe Got Plans (For Me)" lean into pop melodies but are still doused in spectral reverb and heavy on out-there guitar soloing. However, more often than this pop approach, Scher and company lean heavily into the influence of West Coast psychedelic icons the Grateful Dead. Upbeat rockers like "Right Vibration" capture the sunny tumble of the Dead's spirited anthems, while the spindly disco grooves and Garcia-esque guitar lines on "Mutant Pill" or "Bohannon" borrow more from the stumbling boogie of Shakedown Street. Though the Dead's influence is undeniable, the album isn't chained to that reference point. Scher's talents for guitar and arrangement come through just as strong, melding some of the lazy charm of Kurt Vile's stuporous songwriting with heavy doses of showy guitar and synth breakdowns. The record closes with an unexpected and faithful cover of the Surfaris' surf classic "Wipe Out." It's the perfect finale for an album that's lighthearted, fun, and expressly Californian in character. The trip Farmer Dave the Wizards of the West take us on isn't so much long and strange as it is mellow and kindhearted, with some stops along the way for dancing, contemplation, and getting willfully lost. ~ Fred Thomas, Rovi

1		Exegesis
2		Cave Walls
3		Right Vibration
4		Ocean Eyes
5		Stand & Deliver
6		Mutant Pill
7		Babe Got Plans (For Me)
8		Bahannon
9		Wipe Out