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.

As I mentioned, Wheelies' songs tend to have a sound like they were recorded through an intercom. Talking with Pat Doherty, lead singer and guitarist, as he apparently rode around town on his bicycle, I found out the reason.

"[Guitarist Tom Crow] has this old Windows '95 computer that we record on," says Doherty.

That's right, Wheelies record on Windows '95. They've gone meta lo-fi. They've made a photocopy of a photocopy of lo-fi.

It's the best thing I've heard all week.

Doherty says that, on the album the band will start recording in March, the quality will more be professional. He does assure me, though, that they'll still err on the side of lo-fi.

"When I say professional quality, I guess I mean that someone else will be there to keep us focused," says Doherty. "The hope is that we'll have someone who's able to look at us from outside the group and say, you know, ‘Scratch that' or, ‘Maybe start drinking a little bit less tonight' or something."

But when you see Wheelies live, I should point out, none of this matters. Lo-fi doesn't exist when they're playing right in front of you. Songs matter and - fractured and yellowed like they are - Wheelies' songs are ultimately the stars of the show.

[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]