I See Hawks In L.A.
(Big Book Records)
It's sort of surprising that I See Hawks In L.A., the Southern California country-rock band, not only has lasted to its fourth album but has won a devoted following as the region's best such act. There is, after all, one heck of a lot of competition. And lead singer Rob Waller has a monochromatic voice that is borderline monotonous. Plus the band's sound is such a throwback to its predecessors, the Burritos and New Riders, that it's hard to get excited, despite the excellent playing, colored by pedal-steel and fiddle.
But this band's secret is idiosyncratically unusual songwriting. Waller and guitarist Paul Lacques write like hip university professors, or post-countercultural novelists, and their lyrics are fascinating and full of provocative ideas, a rarity in rock.
"Yolo Country Airport" is a cool, dramatic song about flying home as potential superstars. "Carbon Dated Love," an existentialist, epiphanous tale about two hikers becoming one with nature, is a marvel of imagist detail. "Environment Children of the Future," a ballad, balances sincerity about ecological awareness among young people with a killer "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah" chorus. The apocalyptic rocker "Ever Since the Grid Went Down" imagines being forced to live "like an honest man" - it's meant ironically - in order to survive a societal collapse. A detour into Celtic music is ill-advised and the production by Lacques could be more forceful. But this is one fascinating band.
Standout Tracks: "Carbon Dated Love," "Ever Since the Grid Went Down" STEVEN ROSEN
