Pitchfork: Mates of State Tour With Maria Taylor

Filling the Gibbard/Walla and Lewis/Sennett void as Barsuk Records' foremost power couple, Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel of Mates of State have their work cut out for them in 2006. Today, the happily married pair will surely celebrate Valentine's Day in some kind of sickeningly adorable way, like going for a rowboat ride in the park or drinking champagne in a heart-shaped Jacuzzi.

Then, on March 21, Barsuk will release the duo's fourth album, Bring it Back. Because Mates of State just couldn't be cutesy enough, the disc's cover art features a couple that looks suspiciously like the Mates themselves (it may even be them) locked in an embrace. OK, we get it! You luuuuv each other! Stop rubbing it in our faces!

To keep the fires burning, Gardner and Hammel will head out on an exhaustive tour of North America in March. They'll be joined on several dates by Azure Ray siren Maria Taylor. No, we won't make any m�nage-�-trois jokes. Get your head out of the gutter.

Dates of state:

03-09 Houston, TX - Engine Room *
03-10 Dallas, TX - Gypsy Ballroom *@
03-11 Austin, TX - Emo's *
03-12 San Antonio, TX - The Sanctuary
03-16 Austin, TX - The Parish (Barsuk SXSW showcase)
03-23 Cambridge, MA - Middle East #
03-24 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church #$
03-25 Fall's Church, VA - State Theater #
03-26 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle #
03-27 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club #
03-28 Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder #
03-29 Orlando, FL - The Social #
03-30 Gainesville, FL - Common Grounds #
03-31 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse #%
04-01 Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle Music Hall #
04-02 Nashville, TN - The End #
04-03 Urbana, IL - Canopy Club #
04-04 Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews #
04-05 Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater #
04-06 Chicago, IL - Metro #!
04-07 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick #!
04-08 Notre Dame, IN - Legends of Notre Dame # (students and guests only)
04-09 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom #
04-12 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
04-20 Seattle, WA - Neumos
04-21 Vancouver, British Columbia - Plaza Club
04-28 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall ^
04-30 Indio, CA - Empire Polo Field (Coachella) &

* with Sound Team
@ with Midlake # with Maria Taylor
$ with The Gossip, Comet Gain
% with Magnolia Electric Co., Destroyer
! with Saturday Looks Good to Me
^ with Viva Voce, the Botticellis
& with Tool, Massive Attack, Bloc Party, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wolf Parade, Ted Leo/Pharmacists, the Go! Team, etc.