Figurines

After three albums of likeably ragged indie-rock in the mid-’00s, Figurines took a short break, and now the Danish trio has returned with a self-titled fourth album and a more polished act—almost a re-branding. The band still recalls Neil Young and R.E.M. (or at least the pieces of Neil Young and R.E.M. borrowed by Built To Spill and Modest Mouse), but they’ve lost the elements of abrasion and experimentation that crept into 2006’s brilliant Skeleton and 2007’s When The Deer Wore Blue. New songs like “Lucky To Love” and “New Colors” are brighter and more toe-tapping, sort of a twangy take on new wave. 

Updated 08/08/2011