The High 5's

What hell hath ProTools wrought? Not to get all Steve Albini on your asses, but there's something to be said for poorly recorded, mistake-laden basement demo tapes. Of course, demo tapes don't exist anymore, but local boys The High 5's treat visitors to their MySpace page (myspace.com/thehigh5s) to some unproduced, rough-hewn tracks. Some of the guitar parts are reminiscent of post-"Roadrunner" Modern Lovers albums (all off-key sweetness and folksy jangle) while the drummer nails approximately half of his fills. Singer Patrick Nolan aspires toward some Eddie Vedder-esque, full-throated vox — although on the band's brighter moments, he hits something more than dude-rock facsimile.