I first heard the name Chester French on a community on livejournal where I saw a girl being ridiculed for listening to the band. The attacker said that she was trying too hard to be indie and offbeat. I had never heard of the band and immediately thought Chester French was an actual guy, like Kevin Devine or something like that. I was pretty surprised when I saw them on MTV, it was nothing like I had thought the music would sound like. I was pretty impressed but there was something that didn't sit well with me.
Backtracking a bit, Chester French is a duo based from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Originally a five-piece, the band put out their first EP and built from there. Though from the Eastern coast, Chester French has a distinct European undertone in their music. Their first single "She Loves Everybody" is full of handclaps, tambourines and triangles.
There is no denying that what Chester French puts out is good, it's very good and kudos to them for starting to make it so big. Somewhere in the back of my mind though, it just feels like another band trying far too hard to be that sort of overly hip, cool cat, British and sixties influence to make their way in the game. Maybe as Chester French gets puts more music out my opinion will change of them, hey I'm already listening to "She Loves Everybody" for my own leisure, that has to mean something. But for now, check out Chester French for yourself and form your own opinion.
http://www.myspace.com/chesterfrench
-Tabitha
