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.

Lead singer Jake Snider's lyrics never stray far from drugs and matters of the flesh - that fact alone is enough to separate Omni from the relatively sexless indie rock canon. It's an experiment in augmenting an established product for a new age, without changing completely all of the qualities that made Minus the Bear a success to begin with. As far as they stretch themselves, the evidence of how tightly they cling on to their signature sound can be felt all over Omni.

Is Omni a successful experiment? I'm inclined to say it is not. Despite being a generally enjoyable album, I feel Minus the Bear didn't push far enough in changing up their sound - only just enough to not quite sound like themselves any more, which is a dangerous move to make. The real test will be Omni's follow-up: will it continue in this vein toward a larger funk-influence, or will it be a retreat to the comfy confines of indie rock?

With an obvious wellspring of talent to draw from in the members of Minus the Bear, it could be that I just want them to lay everything on the table. Despite having a fairly solid catalog, the band has yet to release a crazy, balls-out statement of purpose - a magnum opus of progressive indie rock, which remains a valid, if somewhat stale, genre for exploration.

But I digress (and digress and digress and digress). Friday, Minus the Bear will be playing at the UPS Field House. Because the band is protected by waves and waves of "people" who have to contact other "people," I was unable to reach them for an interview. Instead, I was happy to speak with Tucker Shouse, the student responsible for organizing the UPS performance.

"This is our first large-scale production of the year," says Shouse. "A lot of people had requested Minus the Bear because of their Seattle presence. People would come up to me and say, ‘I've seen these guys eight times in Seattle over the past four years. I love them; you have to bring them.'"

The Field House is a venue with a long history of bringing in amazing bands, including Sly & the Family Stone, Elvis Presley and the Beach Boys. If Minus the Bear hope to be remembered so fondly in music history, they're best hope is to paint even further outside the lines. We know they have the talent, but Omni's not nearly as far out as they need to go.

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