Themes Post New Song, Tour Dates, Quote "The Simpsons"

Download: Themes - "Epic World"

Everything's coming up Milhouse! And by Milhouse, I mean MPLS-based expansionist alt-folk duo Themes. The duo, who put out their record War Over The Great Plains in the winter of last year, blossomed into a quartet by adding new members back in February. Then, about a week-and-a-half ago, the band triumphantly opened for Fleet Foxes and Blizen Trapper at a show in the 7th Street that Themes described as their "most memorable show to date".

Now, as May approaches, the group is set to start a West Coast tour where, hopefully, each show presents an opportunity to become even more memorable.

As the band explains, via MySpace:

"Did anyone get the licsense place number of the winter that just hit me?"
-c wiggins
--
T-MINUS 20 DAYS AND COUNTING.
dear friends, and innumerable shards of shimmering fragments.

we are headed west again. bursting from the dams of winter's confine. we'll spend to month of MAY roving the western seaboard, with our stories to tell. you might come see us at the shows, you might run into us at the bar be que. you may see us syphening gas from suv's in home depot parking lots, and you might say, those fuckers are crazy, and they look like road warriors. and you would be right. i am fucking crazy. crazy like a fox.

Not one, but two Simpsons quotes!

You can see if the band is coming to your town by heading to their MySpace Page.

For those of you in the Twin Cities-area who want to see the band, they'll be playing April 29th at Future Pasture, and May 3rd at the Uptown Theater, where they will be playing with Chicagoans Lacona.

Those who want to hear what the band actually sounds like (shocker of shockers!) can listen to lullaby-like, arpeggio-heavy, and aptly-named "Epic World" at the top of the post. If you like what you hear, then head on over to the band's MySpace Page, where the band has posted a "new" song. "The Soldier's Trade" is taken from the Plains record, but seeing how you can only buy the record from the band themselves, the stream on MySpace will have to do.

Band member Jacy sez:

a big what up to those of you who might not have been so lucky as to have gotten a copy of this elusive "War Over The Great Plains" album. I figured i should give a heads up and let you know you can hear the song "The Soldier Trade" on our page now. dig it....

And dig it we do. "The Soldier's Trade" features ghostly, sonically-manipulated vocals which help bely the seriousness of the song's "war-is-hell" message. It's a short, but poignant, folk-protest song.

War Of The Great Plains is out now.

Read the Fantastic Weapon post about the band.

Themes MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)