It’s always interesting to observe a person’s reaction when they come across !!! on your iPod.

Puzzled looks are common along with the usual “”How do you say that?”” Long story short, call them “”chk chk chk,”” or any other three repeated syllables.

If you think explaining the name as a fan gets old, imagine how it feels for the band.

“”We really shot ourselves in the foot with our name,”” said Allan Wilson, horn player and percussionist.

While Wilson still thinks the name was a good choice, he always finds the band getting asked what the hell it means. He recently went on a press tour with eccentric vocalist Nic Offer, and the two decided to get a bit creative with their stories.

“”It’s kind of annoying that people don’t do a little bit of their homework,”” Wilson said.

We’ll leave that homework up to you. It’s the music that’s really important.

The band has recently been hard at work letting loose tunes from its newest album, Myth Takes. While drifting slightly away from the dance-rock style that has drawn love in the past, the album has made its mark as one of the best released this year.

Tracks like “”Must Be The Moon”” and the incredibly catchy “”Heart of Hearts”” highlight the band’s ability to get the dancefloor moving while still rocking out. Proof could be seen this year as the band stormed the globe.

“”We’ve been touring since February,”” Wilson said. “”It’s been endless.””

The band’s live show consists of its eight members all contributing groovy and danceable rhythms with guitars, keyboards and various forms of percussion. It’s definitely not the usual glow-stick, happy-dance music.

During the band’s early, struggling days, dance music lovers across Europe “”really seemed to be getting it,”” Wilson said. The band has recently returned the love by touring Europe multiple times this year.

“”The venues are quite a bit different in Europe,”” Wilson said. “”Most of the clubs we’ve played at there are more focused towards dance music.””

!!!’s live show combines the energy of a rave with the magic of a rock show, as the band tries to experiment onstage.

Songs like the sprawling, nine-minute “”Me and Giuliani Down By The Schoolyard”” lend themselves to extended jams and improvisation.

“”There’s always enough freedom in the structure of our songs to explore the little avenues of things we want to do,”” Wilson said. “”It’s like we’re each playing our own show.””

While the band’s multitude of members allows for some considerable and diverse improv, it does lead to some problems at the end of the night.

“”Honestly, there are two shows I can think of that I know we all agreed it was a good show,”” Wilson said.

Don’t expect a !!! show to be a boring, head-nodding indie affair.

“”I still think we’re doing something fresher than most bands nowadays,”” Wilson said.

This weekend, !!! invades Arizona with two shows.

The band’s Phoenix show will be held at The Brickhouse, 1 E. Jackson St. Call 602-258-7880 for details.

!!! performs Saturday in a 21-and-over show at Club Congress, 318 E. Congress St. Doors open at 10 p.m. There is a $13 cover charge. Underground ambient techno artist The Field will open.