Recording engineers won't like it because some might lose their jobs, but the implications of current technology are clear -- with the ownership of a couple of computers and programs such as Cubase and Logic Pro, a band can record an entire album itself without paying a cent for studio time.

Just ask Squirrel Hill native Avi Dell, frontman and songwriter for indie pop-rock band Vindell. Its debut full length, "Get Up Get Up!," to be released Friday July 10 at Club Cafe, was tracked and mixed in the home studios of their former drummer, Mike Smales, and current drummer, John Riley.

"It's pretty amazing what we were able to do," enthuses Dell. "The best thing about [self-production] is that even after we feel like we're done we can take it home and listen to it and realize that we're not finished and make all sorts of changes."

"As a vocalist, I'm constantly thinking of new melodies and harmonies," he adds, "and the great thing about this band, as opposed to other bands I was in, is that we have three singers -- myself, [keyboard and trumpet player] Nikki Avershal, and [bassist] Max Somerville. For me, it's a privilege to have found people who are so invested in the music that they want to work with me."

Dell relates how he wanted to start a band since he was 12 years old, with his precocious desire stemming from listening to old Beatles albums and such bands as Violent Femmes and Our Lady Peace. He then absorbed the emo-pop spectrum from Saves The Day to Get Up Kids.

"As a kid, there was always something people liked about my voice, and the stage presence was there even if the music wasn't. I remember when I was 15, we played this show at Shady Side Academy, and a professor pulled me aside and said, 'You sound like a young Peter Gabriel.' Since I was really into Gabriel at the time, I was complimented by that. I like to think that now the songwriting is starting to catch up with the talent."

After living in Israel for three years, Dell came home to find his connections had dried up. So he hopped on craigslist.

"That's how Vindell came together initially," he recalls. "It created this community where I knew all these people who auditioned for each other. Whether styles worked or personalities meshed, they were people in the scene [to whom] I could say, 'Hey, I just recorded this song, want to listen?' or 'Hey, I found a drummer who played on a song you played on.' So by meeting with people and talking to them, I had a fan base which was interested in what I was doing, and that's done me well."

But the best applications of technology are useless without the creative spark, and Dell isn't afraid to reveal that in addition to the rest of the band's contributions in polishing up the music (including newest guitarist Cory Hall) the songs on "Get Up" reflect the input of a "ghostwriter" who isn't actually in the group: a shadowy figure named Ben-G Gross.

When I mention that this smacks of Steely Dan, Dell says, "Yes, it is a little like that. I'm glad you mentioned Steely Dan, because our bassist loves them."

However, those who need more current references to hang their hats on during songs such as "White" or "Drinks or Drugs" will appreciate Dell's references to Death Cab for Cutie and Gaslight Anthem. He also notes that Tegan & Sara's "The Con" album exerted influence on his writing.

Meanwhile, the album's slick pop production doesn't shy away from appealing to fans of, say, Jason Mraz or John Mayer.

"For me, success at that level would be almost too hard to imagine, but at the same time, I wouldn't turn it down," he says, "though we're definitely more for the nerds than for the frat boys."

Dell wrote most of the lyrics for "Get Up" between September and November 2008 during the most recent presidential election.

"That was the biggest thing on my mind. It influenced my optimism, whether it was a love song or a sad song, because of the excitement surrounding Obama and the Democratic Party. For the first time in my adult life, something big was going to happen."

That positive perspective pervades both potential radio hit "Don't Rescue Me" (introduced by samples from the Senate's economic bailout hearings) and "Chicago (The City is on Fire)," which celebrates the metropolis that Dell visited frequently as it plunged into post-election delirium. "It seemed like, holy [crap], every city in the country is on fire, the lights are finally on and people are finally seeing what's going on politically."

Obviously, you don't need to have voted for Obama to appreciate Vindell -- even Republicans have to hop in the van to go on tour, which Vindell has been doing for much of the summer, hitting points from Chicago and St. Louis to Fort Wayne. They've enjoyed playing "Club Cafe-style venues" but also the occasional punk rock dive ("one night we ended with really hard-core bands, but we sold a lot of merchandise and people were warm and accepting").

Once again, technology is key to making the band move, although Dell cautions potential road warriors that they'll need to send out a thousand MySpace messages to secure 25 shows.

"It's an absurdly fantastic method," he claims, "like carving marble. Everyone is accessible through MySpace, though, so it's all about throwing stuff against the wall and seeing what sticks."

But whether in Pittsburgh or abroad, Dell and the other members of Vindell aren't aiming for anything too difficult or experimental for most people to understand.

"We're shooting for an accessible indie-pop sound. We want our music to be as fun and as easy to listen to as possible. The coolest thing about [the band] is that no matter what the audience is somebody finds a way to relate to it in some capacity. And that's extremely rewarding."