Exploding out of Columbus, Ohio, the Stepford Five go a long way toward making alternative rock sound alive-and-kicking, even after major labels have purged their alt-rock rosters, sending countless goateed love boys back to middle management gigs in the fast-food industry. The band - Tim Minneci on bass, Jason Dziak on guitar and keys, Keith Jenkins on vocals and guitar, and Mark Kovitya on drums - electrify a smashing batch of songs here, ranging from the alt-pop-rock glory of "Contact Illusion" to the percolating grandeur of "Get Yourself Together" and the seething urgency of "Need To Know." They take the best parts of ensembles like Afghan Whigs and Girls Against Boys, mix 'em all up and throw it right back at ya. They're Bush with guts and soul. Actually, you can pretty much strip the "alternative" from all signifiers here and just let their roaring blend of chords and rhythmic propulsion take you over. It's just rock. They also know how to use gaps and spacing - both overlooked tools - to build tension and room in their songs. The end result is fantastic. Just as this correspondent did, the Stepford Five spent some time at Bowling Green State University on the windswept plains of Northwest Ohio before relocating to Columbus, which is easily the biggest college town in America, both in size and mentality. Appropriately, they make just the kind of catchy noise you need to wade through the pretensions and shortcomings - as well to celebrate the camaraderie and boisterousness - of Midwestern academia. Well done, boys.

Though The Stepford Five is a local band (well, kind of—they’re from Columbus), for the most part, their debut, MESH, isn’t the typical sounds-like-it-was-recorded-in-someone’s-garage CD. Vocalist/guitarist Keith Jenkins, guitarist/keyboard player Jason Dziak, bassist Tim Minneci and drummer Mark Kovitya have created an album that would rival some national acts with its blend of everything from indie to funk, while staying within modern rock genre. While the band has been together for only about a year, they show surprising lyrical and musical maturity. The album starts off in indie-rock style with the steady bass, lazy guitar melodies of “Contact Illusion.” The vocal harmonies and wall-of-guitar chorus almost makes you smell that Bernie’s (an Ohio State University campus bar) ever-present stale beer/smoke essence. (For northeastern Ohioans, Bernie’s is to Columbus as the Grog Shop or Pat’s in the Flats is to Cleveland). “Need to Know” is more straight-out slow rock track, and, thankfully, is not a cover of the Mark Anthony song with a similar title. A Catherine Wheel-like guitar intro leads into the slower, soulful strings and meloncholy lyrics: “What you feel, when you’re standing looking down on me/What you do, who you know/It’s not something I need to know.” Slightly demented guitar leads into the more aggressive “Broken Skin.” The harmonic chorus gives the song a little bit of an upbeat feel to words like, “Over and over again/It’s just broken skin.” The funk-infused “Get Yourself Together,” with its slinky, rhythmic guitars and laid-back vocal style is a pleasant surprise—another example of The Stepford Five’s multi-faceted musical nature. A sigh—yes, like in Poison’s “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”—begins the short (one minute, 36 seconds) “Misplaced You.” But it’s no power ballad—only Jenkins and an acoustic guitar. Though it could be just a bad recording job, the echoey sound of his voice and simplicity of the song gives it that eerie, haunting sensation of Black Sabbath’s “Planet Caravan.” The honest, unglossy recording actually lets you hear the guitar neck squeak as he plays, something that makes the song seem that much more sincere. BOTTOM LINE: The Stepford Five can be classified under the general umbrella of modern rock, but the band gently includes a variety of styles to give it a personal touch—successfully, which is rare. Fans of bands that are generally rock-oriented, yet a little off the beaten track, such as Catherine Wheel or Afghan Whigs would enjoy this Columbus foursome.

The Stepford Five formed when bassist Tim Minneci and guitarists Jason Dziak and Keith Jenkins were in school at Bowling Green (drummer Mark Kovitya joined later). When the three graduated, they moved to Columbus, specifically because of the thriving rock scene they saw here. They said they were attracted by bands like Howlin' Maggie, Watershed and Scrawl. Well I say, Welcome to town! If the chamber of commerce didn't drop a fruit basket at your door when you got here, they should have. The Stepford Five brought with them an inimitably big pop sound, and spent their first year in Columbus recording a great CD. Mesh is excellently produced, by Neal Schmitt at Workbook Studio--the band also cites Pretty Mighty Mighty as an inspiration--capturing a well-defined, textured sound that ranges from gentle (the acoustic lament Misplaced You, the piano ballad Making Sound) to powerful (the driving rock anthem Strange Days). There are some awfully catchy melodies at the heart of this skilled playing. At their best, The Stepford Five's writing approaches the best of J Mascis or Billy Corgin, creating well-crafted, tightly structured songs within a loose sheath of sonic anarchy. The adrenaline-fueled opener Contact Illusion and the fervent Need to Know are both great pop songs. But the stand-out on the disc is the charming Overcoming Eve, where grinding mid-tempo verses blossom into the chorus' soaring hook. In the ongoing tradition of the bands that attracted the quartet to the Capital City, The Stepford Five bodes well for the future of Columbus pop.

The Stepford Five arrive from Columbus boasting the sparkling Modern Rock debut album MESH. The group take a wide array of AltRock influences to create a memorable mix of powerful guitar textures (recalling some of the Afghan Whigs' mid-period work) and shimmering and emotive vocal melodies. With local Pop experts Promenade and Clabbergirl on the bill, this is one solid night of creative Pop/Rock.