Tripwires – Makes You Look Around

Did you find yourself tipping back a few and listening to Goodbye Nashville, Hello Camden Town, the excellent pub-rock anthology put out by Castle Music in 2007, and grumpily lamenting, “They just don’t do it like this anymore”? Well, maybe someone does. The Tripwires, led by former Model Rockets frontman John Ramberg, boasts a loaded lineup of Seattle ringers in guitarist Johnny Sangster, bassist Jim Sangster and drummer Mark Pickerel. Ramberg’s Minus 5 mate Scott McCaughey lends support, and Kurt Bloch adds technical help. Tight and talented but loose and lubricated is this disc’s winning formula. It’s no surprise that melodic but powerful pop is at the core, but mad-scientist measures of twang and roots add to the album’s charm. There are no slow points; beginning (“Big Electric Light”), middle (“Comedienne”) and end (“Sold Yer Guitar Blues”) are all damn great. The hard part will be picking out a Tripwires song for the inevitable Pub Rock Today anthology.