Andrew Bird's idea of a lead guitar is something that tucks tightly under his chin. A graduate of Illinois Northern University with a bachelor's degree in violin performance, Bird has spent more than a decade turning the fiddle into an indie-pop bastion. Following the success of his 2007 album “Armchair Apocrypha,” the whistle-blowing singer and songwriter looks to unveil material off his latest full-length, “Noble Beast” at the National with Loney, Dear on Monday, Feb. 2, at 6 p.m. $17-$20. 612-1900. — Mike Hilleary