The indie music landscape has shifted quite a bit since Minus the Bear formed in 2001. "Indie rock," as a label, is murkier than ever with the dozens of subgenres and mashups that have sprung up from cracks in the cement like so many gangly dandelions. Chillwave, shit-fi, ghostly R&B, hardcore manifestos - a plethora of new and interesting ways of expressing musical creativity that fly in the face of the polished indie rock paradigm. Bands like Minus the Bear and the disappointingly static Death Cab for Cutie have been faced with the accelerated evolution of music and have been given a mandate: evolve or face extinction.

In what can be considered an admirable move, Minus the Bear met this mandate with last year's effort, Omni. In a break from the band's tested formula of vaguely proggy indie guitar rock, Minus the Bear answered the call with a funk-inflected album that, if nothing else, challenged their image as it had been built up over the years. With the exception of songs like "Secret Country," a driving New Wave number that recalls Traffic, the majority of the album is devoted to grooving dance and somewhat off-putting carnality.

For the full version of Rev. Adam McKinney's story, click here.

Minus the Bear

with People Eating People
Friday, April 8, 7 p.m., $12 with UPS ID, $18 general admission
UPS Field House, North 11th and Union, Tacoma
253.879.3419