Wheelies write pop songs, to be sure, but they're just a little mixed up - a little upside-down or inside-out, sounding as if they were recorded on the wrong end of an intercom. Or maybe sounding worn and yellowed like a long-lost mix-tape. The hooks are jagged and nervy even when the mood is ostensibly happy. Every song sounds almost on the verge of complete collapse, held together only by the sheer will of the band members.

All of this gives Wheelies something that other garage pop acts somehow seem to miss. It gives them a sense of danger.

[Jazzbones, with Trip the Light Fantastic, Island of Birds, Sunday, Sunday, Jan. 31, 7 p.m., all ages, no cover, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169]