By Delia Paunescu

Up until the release of their debut album, a prestigious alma mater was the most interesting thing about Chester French. Members D.A. Wallach and Maxwell Drummey may seem like they’re following in the steps of Columbia alums Vampire Weekend, but in reality, their band has quite a bit more to offer.

“Love the Future” should have been released at least six months ago. Having been signed to Pharrell’s Star Trak label in 2008, early buzz and a couple of singles built up until we almost forgot about the educated newcomers. Now that it’s out, it’s difficult to say if the wait was worth it.

Musically, the album is all over the place. Some tracks are synth-heavy, others channel the Beach Boys and there’s even a track in Portuguese. The boys obviously spent a lot of time on the album’s 13 tracks, each carefully-constructed in its own right and as part of the greater album. Most songs are a fun listen and prove their creators’ intelligence. And sometimes that intelligence smacks you over the head.

Starting with “Introduction,” the lamenting Portuguese track, may not have been the best idea. The melancholic tone it sets isn’t particularly fitting to the album’s more upbeat fare. But perhaps even this was done intentionally. It’s actually perfect if we are to take this introductory work as an ode to the post-collegiate funk.

The lag time between later tracks is almost nonexistent. Even through the genre shifts, they float by so smoothly there’s often hardly any recognition that one ended and the following has been playing for the past two minutes; as in the case of “C’Mon (On My Own)” and “Bebee Buell.”

But then there’s the interludes. First a “String,” later a “Country.” Both are heavy-handed examples how much the liberal arts majors know about music, a la Radiohead with a bit of Pink Floyd trippyness. It’s obvious they spent less time in the classroom and more listening to a wide variety of styles. But these tracks don’t have lyrics and seem almost unnecessary, breaking the easy flow between the more interesting tracks.

Chester French might love the future but from this debut work it’s clear they have quite a bit of respect for the past too. The main attempt is at creating one seamless album and were it not for the interludes, they’d almost make the grade there; even though they don’t stick to one genre. In fact there are quite a few changes, reminiscent to of Montreal’s work on “Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies.”

When “Love the Future” ends with a sound-warp the nearly deafens at the end of “Sleep,” it’s obvious that perhaps a little too much thought was put into the album. The display is too wide and the jokes are too literal.

But there is quite a bit of talent and Chester French is a welcome change to the stale pop we’re used to. Certainly, these grads will grow up and their music will hopefully follow.