Watching L.A. Edwards – the family band named after leader Luke – back in the spring opening for Lucinda Williams, I wrote a line that might have seemed throwaway at the time, but has resonance throughout “Pie Town.”
“L.A Edwards,” I wrote, “have morphed into one of the finest—well, what exactly?—bands around,” and those words—”well, what exactly?”—are ever sharper in focus here on this bag of tricks.
That is evident right from the moment that “Don’t Know Better” strays into 1980s rock. Not quite the opening you imagined, perhaps.
Maybe I’m feeling nostalgic for Born in the U.S.A. as it hits 40, because there’s more than a tinge of that era Springsteen about the opener here, “Don’t Know Better,” a vibe that “Little Sunshine” enjoys so much it continues it.
Having watched L.A. Edwards a few times, I’ve always been struck by the warmth of what they do. There’s something gentle about them, welcoming if you like, and that’s how “El Camino” feels.
More than anything, though, they are exquisitely skilled. “Just Forget It” with its darker reflection is exquisitely done. “I don’t understand what the hell is happening” offers Luke here, and there’s a touch of Blue October about it.
Both the piano and backing vocals of “Can You See Me?” have a haunting quality, as if there was a definite desire here to change things just a little.
Not so much that it’s a different band—and the harder-edged rock n roll of “I Won’t” sort of proves that—but there’s a feeling that they wanted to grow on “Pie Town”.
“For You” throws a spotlight on this brave (sort of) new world. That is to say that it could have been straight from the classic American songbook, but the synths add a somewhat ethereal quality, as if to add their own stamp on things.
Typical of many here, “Waterfall” has an expansive feel. Like it belongs on the soundtrack of some HBO show where the troubled main character drives down a solitary road in the darkness as they round up the plot, and the gentle keys that underpin the beautiful “Angel Wait” are perfect in this context.
And perhaps nowhere is the feeling of these songs better understood than on “Gone 4U.” Everything you’d expected and wanted, but somehow fresh too. It’s hard to do, yet L.A. Edwards manage it well, and “Good Luck”—one of the first singles they released from the album and played at that aforementioned show in the Spring is the almost perfect example of what they are trying to achieve.
And that goes too for the last one, “Comin’ Around.” It might start with a strident guitar line like so many have, but it does things you wouldn’t expect.
That’s “Pie Town” as a whole. Yes, it says, “We’re an American band,” but it also does things in a most unconventional and interesting way.
A superb outfit already, but there are hints of greatness here and so much more to come.
Rating: 8.5/10
