Formed in the late 90s by school friends Christian Hjelm, Andreas Toft and Claus Salling Johansen, the members of this Danish indie rock unit joggled instruments before agreeing that Hjelm would remain on the guitar while Johansen played drums and Toft bass. Following the release of their 2001 debut EP The Detour the trio recruited new drummer Kristian Volden, leaving Johansen free to switch back to his favoured instrument. The album, Shake A Mountain, was released by the Danish label Morningside Records in early 2003 and spawned the hit single "Bright". The quartet's gauche but frequently infectious indie guitar pop was driven by Hjelm's yelping vocal style, although over the course of an album their indebtedness to US bands such as Built To Spill and Modest Mouse became too apparent. The 2005 follow-up, Skeleton, built on the strengths of the debut added a greater melodic depth, attracting a number of highly positive reviews.
The band's first major line-up change took place in 2006 when Mads Kjrgaard replaced Toft and Jens Ramon joined on keyboards. Later in the year Skeleton was given a North American release by the independent label The Control Group, reflecting the band's growing popularity in this market. Figurines (there is no definite article in the name) worked with American producer Jeremy Lemos on their third album, 2007's When The Deer Wore Blue, which adopted a more psychedelic and cinematic approach than its predecessors.
DISCOGRAPHY: Shake A Mountain (Morningside 2003)***, Skeleton (Morningside 2005)****, When The Deer Wore Blue (Morningside 2007)***.
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
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