Camper Van Beethoven's tour rolls ahead of new album

With their first album in nearly 15 years headed for stores soon, indie-rock trailblazers Camper Van Beethoven are again touring the U.S. club circuit.

The group travels the West Coast through August, and returns to the road in October to support "New Roman Times," its first album of new material since 1989's "Key Lime Pie."

"New Roman Times" is billed as a rock opera that loosely tells the story of a young juvenile delinquent from Texas who joins an elite military unit. In a press release, frontman David Lowery said that the story was inspired by the current U.S. political climate.

"But this story isn't really supposed to be about Iraq, Afghanistan or even war," Lowery said in a press release. "It's actually about the deep gulf between the 'red' and the 'blue' parts of the country. I made it a sci-fi alternate reality so that I could exaggerate the differences. Plus, I could make things lighter and more tongue in cheek."

Three songs that will appear on the new album are currently being sold as downloads via Apple's iTunes Music Store: "That Gum You Like is Back in Style," "Fifty-One Seven" and "White Fluffy Clouds."

The oft-changing band's lineup for "New Roman Times" includes founders Lowery, Jonathan Segel, Victor Krummenacher, Greg Lisher and Chris Pederson. It also features contributions from key Camper members Chris Molla and David Immergluck, among others.