On his new album, Someone Else’s Déjà Vu (Saddle Creek), Son Ambulance’s principal singer/songwriter Joe Knapp shows he’s come a long long way from his piano-driven indie-pop, “striving for a dirty Billy Joel vibe” that made up much of his 2005 LP, Key (which I really love, by the way).

I first caught Son Ambulance around 2002 in a cramped apartment show in Ames, Iowa with a hardwood living room floor serving as a stage. As Knapp tinkered at his keyboard, David Dondero accompanied on guitar and the wine was flowing freely.

Déjà Vu, in contrast, is a more mature offering featuring rhythm change-ups (including a wicked samba on “A Girl from New York City”), Floydian freak-outs (”Legend of Lizeth”) and rich orchestration (thanks to labelmates Tilly and the Wall and The Faint).

Overall, while it may be a fresh direction for Knapp, there’s something intimate and affable about Someone Else’s Déjà Vu. It’s almost familiar. I can’t quite put my finger on it…

Son Ambulance play Minneapolis’ Uptown Bar on Friday, July 18th with Jennifer O’Connor.