Too Far to Care marries the slacker twang of The Old 97’s to their knack for a pop melody that lightens the mood. “Timebomb” sets off the album like a box of dynamite with lightning-in-a-bottle guitar and a wicked quick shuffle, and “Niteclub” bemoans the rigors of the working musician, as Rhett Miller sings over bouncy basslines about burning a venue down. “Salome” provides tear-in-my-beer pedal steel on a world-weary breakup tune with a memorable chorus that’s like a dagger through the heart.