Mon. July 2

Our interest in the gloomier, doomier side of rock goes back to, oh, Pink Floyd and peaked, probably, with Joy Division. Pink Floyd often saw the world as a conspiracy (school/government/parents) against the individual; Joy Division's Ian Curtis saw emotional torment everywhere he turned and hanged himself. There was, and is, a lot of veracity in each band's music. Also, it countered the sugar-y anthem rock that sounded so manufactured. That stuff will be with us always - it will surround us, as most people, really want the easy uplift, just as they want the undemanding satisfaction of competitive reality TV. It's much harder, musically, to create something that is both credible and uplifting. It is this that the Polyphonic Spree specializes in. As band co-leader Tim DeLaughter (pictured with wife and co-leader Julie Doyle) told Jay Sweet, my buddy at Paste magazine, "Look, it's hard to live life in general, but it's always been about having hope and persevering. I love life in all its ups and downs, but it's still a struggle." The new album, "The Fragile Army," is the first to get somewhat political - they're not happy with the Bush years - and DeLaughter says, it's about "trying to move forward, but yet acknowledge there is a cloud here to be dealt with." So, it's not Polyanna time with the Polyphonic Spree. The group, 24 members of so (many of them in the chorus), plays Avalon Monday July 2. You'll hear brass, glee, multi-part harmonies, Bowie-esque glam bits, Beatles=-like brass, and, well, a fair amount of jubiliation. Go and see if it doesn't feel real. And if it does, consider how hard that is to accomplish these days after watching the evening news. Tickets: $18. Show starts at 8 p.m with Jesca Hoop.

15 Lansdowne St., 617-262-2437 www.livenation.com