After a sold-out 2007 tour in support of their latest album, In Our Bedroom After the War, the poppy Canadian heart-tuggers known as Stars will cross the border again this spring, just in time for their special brand of rain (that looks like love) to fall upon crowds and newborn flowers across the East Coast.
Stars are a part of the wonderfully incestuous Arts & Crafts label, home to Broken Social Scene (with whom Stars share a few upcoming international dates—see below), Feist, Apostle of Hustle and countless other genre-defying acts.
As part of the ongoing Arts & Crafts commitment to offering creative rewards to their loyal listeners (like the early online release of Bedroom), tickets for the just-announced U.S. dates are available now through a pre-sale that includes a free limited-edition A&C sampler with ticket purchase. And. AND! Pre-sale ticket buyers are also entered in a drawing to win an autographed poster—they'll be giving one away at each tour stop.
Variety's "The Set List" blog reported yesterday that Bedroom made the final 2007 Shortlist, but the distributors of the Shortlist Music Prize have yet to update their website with the info.
Hopefully the overdue kudos won't deter Stars singer Torquil Campbell from his crusade to return emotionalism to indie rock, which he touched on in a recent Onion A.V. Club interview: "I'm trying to make music and to write words and to operate as an artist in the public world by inciting feeling in people—inciting love, inciting hatred, inciting laughter. I feel like Stars gets criticized a lot for this aspect of who we are, that we are so forward in our wish to communicate..."
Let Torq (and Amy and Evan and Pat and Chris) communicate with you on these U.S. dates:
March
19 - Baltimore, Md. @ Sonar
20 - Asheville, N.C. @ Orange Peel
21 - Charlotte, N.C. @ Neighborhood Theater
22 - Athens, Ga. @ Georgia Theatre
24 - Birmingham, Ala. @ Workplay
25 - Nashville, Tenn. @ The Belcourt
26 - Louisville, Ky. @ Bomhard Theater
27 - Indianapolis, Ind. @ The Vogue
28 - Madison, Wis. @ Barrymore Theater
29 - Detroit, Mich. @ Crofoot Ballroom
30 - Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Mr. Smalls
April
1 - Buffalo, N.Y. @ The Tralf
25 - Indio, Calif. @ Empire Polo Field (Coachella)
Or these non-U.S. dates:
January
24 - Dublin, Ire. @ Tripod
26 - Aberdeen, Scotland @ Moshulu
27 - Glasgow, Scotland @ Oran Mor
28 - Birmingham, Eng. @ Barfly
29 - London, Eng. @ Koko
30 - Bristol, Eng. @ Thekla Social
31 - Manchester, Eng. @ Academy 3
February
2 - Nottingham, Eng. @ Rescue Rooms
3 - Sheffield, Eng. @ Leadmill
4 - Brighton, Eng. @ Concorde 2
6 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Melkweg
7 - Hamburg, Ger. @ Knust
8 - Brussels, Belgium @ AB Box
9 - Paris, France @ La Maroquinerie
10 - Frankfurt, Ger. @ Mousonturm
11 - Cologne, Ger. @ Gloria
12 - Berlin, Ger. @ Kesselhaus
13 - Vienna, Austria @ Flex
23 - Adelaide, Australia @ Laneway Festival *
24 - Melbourne, Australia @ Laneway Festival *
27 - Sydney, Australia @ Spectrum
28 - Melbourne, Australia @ East Brunswick Club
29 - Brisbane, Australia @ The Zoo *
March
1 - Brisbane, Australia @ Laneway Festival *
2 - Sydney, Australia @ Laneway Festival *
5 - Osaka, Japan @ Club Quattro *
6 - Tokyo, Japan @ Liquid Room *
*w/Broken Social Scene
Related links:
Stars on Arts & Crafts
Stars on MySpace
NPR's All Songs Considered: Stars and New Buffalo live in concert (11/17/07)
Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.

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