Canadian rockers The Weakerthans tour the U.S.

Canadian indie rock heroes The Weakerthans launched their U.S. trek last night (September 25th) in Minneapolis in support of the band’s fourth studio album and strongest song-cycle yet, Reunion Tour. Released this week by Anti- to a flood of critical praise, the band will celebrate the release with a feature profile on NPR’s “All Things Considered” today, Wednesday, September 26th.

In like-minded 4 Star reviews, Paste proclaimed, “Brace yourself for Pulitzer worthy punk,” while Spin championed The Weakerthans as, “Canadian smart guys who make poetry out of awkwardness” and pondered for once and for all, “Why aren’t these guys huge?”

“The band sounds quieter and richer than ever,” Kelefa Sanneh insisted in The New York Times this week, adding, “It’s hard not to imagine Death Cab for Cutie fans falling in love with this album.”

Elsewhere, Esquire pledged its love for the “punk-folk four piece from Winnipeg” by simply ruling Reunion Tour “beautiful.” And in an impressive review of the band’s latest Ian Blurton-produced disc, Filter heralded The Weakerthans’ as “a perfect band for fandom,” adding “their music never fails to make you feel special.”

Closing the four-year gap between albums and crafted among “the finest slaughterhouses, industrial sites and sub-degree temperatures” its Manitoba hometown has to offer, Reunion Tour has been worth the wait. Promising to be the indie rock record of 2007’s fourth quarter, it finds the band again partnering with Blurton, who oversaw 2003’s Reconstruction Site.

Launched with the quirky, memorable rocker “Civil Twilight,” the charms of Reunion Tour quickly become evident on the rollicking “Relative Surplus Value,” the glistening, evocative indie pop of “Night Windows” and the endearing, lease-ending balladry of “Sun In An Empty Room.” And from the warm, pensive tone of “Virtue the Cat Explains Here Departure” to the reflective artful approach of the title track – replete with a steady pulse of flute and horns – Reunion Tour is The Weakerthans’ deepest and most heartfelt record yet.

Here are The Weakerthans’ Upcoming Fall 2007 U.S. Tour Dates:

The Weakerthans 2007-09-26 The Bottleneck Lawrence KS
The Weakerthans 2007-09-27 Marquis Theater Denver CO
The Weakerthans 2007-09-28 Launch Pad Albuquerque NM
The Weakerthans 2007-09-29 The Clubhouse Tempe AZ
The Weakerthans 2007-09-30 Casbah San Diego CA
The Weakerthans 2007-10-02 El Rey Theater Los Angeles CA
The Weakerthans 2007-10-03 Slim's San Francisco CA
The Weakerthans 2007-10-04 Hawthorne Theater Portland OR
The Weakerthans 2007-10-05 Neumos Seattle WA
The Weakerthans 2007-10-24 Magic Stick Detroit MI
The Weakerthans 2007-10-25 Metro Chicago IL
The Weakerthans 2007-10-26 Grog Shop Cleveland Heights OH
The Weakerthans 2007-10-27 Mr. Smalls Theatre Pittsburgh PA
The Weakerthans 2007-10-28 9:30 Club Washington DC
The Weakerthans 2007-10-29 Trocadero Philadelphia PA
The Weakerthans 2007-10-30 Webster Hall New York NY
The Weakerthans 2007-11-01 The Roxy Boston MA