31 Knots

That 31 Knotshas shared the stage with the likes of Modest Mouse, the Liars and Q and not U comes as no surprise. Every note, every measure, in this Portland, Oregon, trio's repertoire has its roots in a stagemate's shtick — Modest Mouse's vocal urgency, the Liars' abruptness, Q's sonic experimentation. But 31 Knots isn't necessarily unoriginal — far from it, actually. Since breaking ground in 1997, guitarist and vocalist Joe Haege, drummer Jay Pellicci and bassist Jay Winebrenner have made their sound into its own animal, mixing doomsday indie musings with near-subterranean prog-rock rhythms stiff enough for a tightrope walker. On the band's first Polyvinyl release, Talk Like Blood, Haege utters politically charged lyrics amid crimson gushes of guitar that would make Ian MacKaye lightheaded.