Bridges & Blinking Lights

Heroes, Guns & Snakes (self-released)

By Anne C. Johnson
Published: March 24th, 2010 | 1:00pm

It has been a long time since a band has put out a straight-up rock ‘n’ roll album—not since the days before MTV became radio’s tastemakers in the early 1980s. Heroes, Guns & Snakes, the follow-up to Bridges & Blinking Lights 2007 debut, Standing on the Same Stick, recalls the days when albums like the Rolling Stones’ Tattoo You (Virgin) ruled the airwaves in real time. Bridges & Blinking Lights bring the old school rock, but with a distinctly Southern character.

Opener “Undercover” is almost confounding with its throwback sound, especially since mainstream music has changed so much in the last few decades. Nope, there are no electronic effects and no traces of hip-hop here; no typical “indie” makers; but rather just a rock song, plain and simple (and over five minutes long). The Denton, Texas quartet briefly traipse indie territory on “Home Free,” which calls to mind the New Pornographers, though Heroes, Guns & Snakes quickly resumes the Tex Mex flavor that is artfully brought to the surface by producer and fellow Texan, Matt Pence.

Singer-guitarist Jake Wilganowski’s love ‘em or hate ‘em vocals can be effectively vulnerable (“Deathbed”) and often recall Rod Stewart, especially when Wilganowski sings about underage girls (“Great Unknown”). If that’s not rock, what is?

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