Modest Mouse

What is it about Modest Mouse that has everyone’s palms sweating with glee? There are a few important elements: a reverence for Built to Spill that verges on the spiritual; the buoyantly hardcore shout/singing, and most of all, an uncanny way of using the most oblique approach possible to convey the most direct of feelings. It also doesn’t hurt that lead singer/ guitarist Isaac Brock cuts his own hair and is buddies with another West Coast indie icon, Beat Happening’s Calvin Johnson. In the last year, the mainstream profile of this trio from Issaquah, Washington, formed in 1993, has soared enough so that its old-time fans are no doubt grumbling. Major exposure came through Mouse placement on that Masterpiece Theater for ‘tweeners, The O.C., and beer and truck advertisements have also introduced the band to new audiences. What are they all getting? The band’s cranky brand of guitar pop throws forth this anti-message message: “Life generally stinks, but there is light at the end of this emo tunnel.” 701 First Ave. N., Minneapolis; 612-332-1775, www.first-avenue.com www.first-avenue.com