The Donkeys are about to embark on a cross-country tour to support their newest, greatest recording achievement, Born With Stripes.

Born With Stripes is an altogether less twangy affair than the band’s 2008 Dead Oceans debut, Living On The Other Side. The nods to Grateful Dead and Buffalo Springfield are better balanced with echoes of other Cali arists, notably Pavement and Beck. The country-rock flairs are often overtaken by powerpop hooks. What some might call a lazy melody is really just a melody on its own clock. Nice and relaxed.

The album was mixed by Pernice Brothers’ Thom Monahan, whose involvement not only gives us the crispest, warmest Donkeys recordings to date, it also serves to remind us of the band’s loose connections to an array of psych-dappled kindred spirits: Vetiver, Papercuts, Brightblack Morning Light, Devendra Banhart. Monahan was not the only outsider the band collaborated with on Born With Stripes. The playful album artwork was created by California illustrator and cartoonist Tony Millionaire, best known for his comics Maakies and Sock Monkey, and as the creator of the Adult Swim show Drinky Crow.

Click here to download “I Like the Way You Walk” at Consequence of Sound

“I Like The Way You Walk” by The Donkeys by deadoceans

Tour Dates:

04/02/11 San Diego, CA – Soda Bar w/ Southeast Engine, Little Fowl
04/30/11 San Diego, CA – RECORD RELEASE PARTY at Sushi Art w/ The Tree Ring
05/04/11 Los Angeles, CA – Bootleg Theatre w/ Social Studies
05/05/11 Monterey, CA – Carbone’s w/ Social Studies
05/06/11 San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill w/ Rademacher, Social Studies
05/09/11 Portland, OR – Holocene w/ Social Studies
05/10/11 Seattle, WA – Sunset Tavern w/ Social Studies
05/12/11 Torrey, UT – The Patio w/ David Williams
05/13/11 Denver, CO – The Hi-Dive
05/14/11 Lawrence, KS – Replay Lounge
05/15/11 Dubuque, IA – Busted Lift
05/17/11 Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
05/18/11 Chicago, IL – Schuba’s w/ Advance Base
05/19/11 Bloomington, IN – The Bishop
05/20/11 Pontiac, MI – The Pike Room at the Crofoot w/ The Bobby Electric, Car Parts
05/23/11 Montreal, QC – Il Motore
05/24/11 Cambridge, MA – T.T. The Bear’s w/ Citay
05/25/11 New Haven, CT – BAR w/ Citay
05/26/11 New York, NY – Cake Shop w/ Citay
05/27/11 Brooklyn, NY – Rock Shop
05/28/11 Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie w/ Citay
05/29/11 Washington, DC – DC9
05/30/11 Raleigh, NC – Kings
05/31/11 Asheville, NC – Broadway’s
06/03/11 Denton, TX – Dan’s Silverleaf
06/05/11 Austin, TX – Mohawk
06/04/11 Houston, TX – Free Press Fest
06/18/11 Tempe, AZ – Yucca Tap Room
06/20/11 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
06/27/11 Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret