Beulah Gives Its Tough Rock a Pop Twist

Indie rock isn’t just about alienation and experimentation. It can be lovable, too. And the band Beulah inhabits the warmer, tuneful side of the combative genre, more pure pop than confrontation.

The San Francisco sextet maintained indie rock’s inherent toughness at Spaceland on Tuesday, but with a commitment to chiming melodies and droll humor that inched toward light ‘60s pop music, blissfully colliding the worlds of Pavement and Burt Bacharach.

As on the band’s new album, “The Coast Is Never Clear,” the music benefited from the full-bodied presence of two guitars and two keyboards.

The surprising moments came whenever guitarist Bill Swan picked up his trumpet for several well-timed horn passages.

On record, the trumpet is often just part of a larger mix of sounds, merely accenting “Gravity’s Bringing Us Down” and other wistful tunes. At Spaceland, the horn assumed a prominent and exciting role, not a gimmick. It also contributed to the night’s bright, affable atmosphere, adding to the frequent droll comments between songs.

“Don’t listen to what they say about you,” singer-guitarist Miles Kurosky joked to fans. “You’re a very handsome audience.”

The band was loose and casual during Tuesday’s 75-minute performance, but never sloppy.

For the encore, Beulah stripped things down for a reverent, edgy take on the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer,” with Swan taking lead vocals when not slashing at his guitar.

Dark and dangerous stuff, and not a trumpet in sight.