Figurines will back in North America for a tour in October. Dates soon. In other news, the bands plans to begin work on their next album (their third) later this year.

MP3: Oceano da Cruz - Mr. Beerbourineman

Like labelmates Figurines, Oceano da Cruz plays the kind of by-the-numbers indierock that'll probably remind you of so many other artists. But also like Figurines, Oceano da Cruz does it with a certain level of finesse that makes them far superior to most of other dreck out there. So while it's not terribly original, it's charming, well-played and well-written. What more do you need? The new CD "Rocksploitation/No more Oceanomania..." is actually a double-album, so it runs a bit long for a single sitting, but if you break it up either by using the convoluted directions in the hard-to-read liner notes or splitting it in half down the middle, it's quite satisfying. Usually I'm all about artists trying to push boundaries and expand musical horizons, but there's something to be said for someone that can make well-tread territory sound fresh. Actually, that's often far more difficult.

Oceano da Cruz - Mr. Beerbourineman

Pitchfork interviews Danish act Figurines: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/36960/Interview_Interview_Figurines
Read my own interview with frontman Christian Hjelm from a few months back: [click here]

Think-Box
Demo
self-released

This is manic indierock, not too unlike Danish hype act Figurines crossed with a touch of Niccokick's histrionics. Unfortunately, it's not quite as memorable as either of those acts and I doubt they'll ever rise above mediocre, but who knows? Stranger things have happened.
- Avi Roig

Figurines have announced the departure of bassist Andreas Toft who has decided to leave the band in order to concentrate on his education. Touring guitarist Mads Kjærgaard will take over his spot.

Australian label Speak n Spell will be releasing Figurines' album "Skeleton" in their part of the world very soon.

In semi-related news, Figurines home-country labelmates Under Byen (both on Morningside) have licensed their most recent album "Samma stof som stof" for release in Japan via Ultra Vybe. It will come out July 8.

Here's the dates for that Figurines US tour supporting Tapes n' Tapes I told you about last week:

06/05 - Middle East Club, Cambridge, MA
06/06 - Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY
06/07 - First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA
06/08 - Fletcher's, Baltimore, MD
06/09 - The Drunken Unicorn, Atlanta, GA
06/10 - The Basement, Nashville, TN
06/12 - Gypsy Tea Room, Dallas, TX
06/13 - Stubb's Barbeque, Austin, TX
06/15 - Solar Culture, Tucson, AZ
06/16 - Echo, Los Angeles, CA
06/17 - Café du Nord, San Francisco, CA
06/18 - Berbati's Pan, Portland, OR
06/19 - Crocodile Café, Seattle, WA
06/22 - Larimer Lounge, Denver, CO
06/23 - Sokol Underground, Omaha, NE

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Eric Gadd - Eric gadd
02. Totta & Wiehe - Dylan
03. Lars Winnerbäck - Efter nattens bränder - 1996-2006
04. The Refreshments - 24-7
05. Sebastian - Sebastian
06. Takida - ...make you breathe
07. Andreas Johnson - Mr johnson, your room is on fire
08. Magnus Uggla - Ett bedårande barn av sin tid
09. Linda Bengtzing - Ingenting att förlora
10. Christer Sjögren - King creole
11. Son of a Plumber - Son of a Plumber
12. The Knife - Silent shout
13. Lotta Engberg - Världens bästa lotta
14. Rebecka Törnqvist - Melting into orange
15. Björn Skifs - Decennier sånger från en annan tid
16. The Sounds - Dying to say this to you
17. Håkan Hellström - Nåt gammalt, nåt nytt, nåt lånat, nåt blått
18. Helt Off - I huset
19. Laleh - Laleh
20. Marie Serneholt - Enjoy the ride

I'm not sure why, but Pitchfork decided to review Figurines again, this time adding on their coveted "recommended" tag: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/f/figurines/skeleton.shtml

Danish act Figurines will be back in the US supporting indie hype Tapes 'n Tapes. Dates and details soon.

Pitchfork on the Figurines song "The wonder": http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/tracks/06-03-20.shtml
I talked about that song not too long ago and have the song posted in my current playlist if you want to hear it.

My interview with Figurines frontman Christian Hjelm is now online: [click here]

Interview: Christian Hjelm (Figurines)

The Pitchfork guide to SXSW includes tips on many acts, including Scandinavians Serena Maneesh (natch), Figurines, The Ark, Sign, Disco Ensemble, Astrid Swan, Quit Your Dayjob, Animal Alpha, Sarah Hepburn and of course, José González. I'd also recommend tracking down Loney, Dear and Kristofer Åström.

The weather last night was far from perfect, but I still made the long drive up to Seattle to see Figurines. Kira and one of the Kindred Spirits had visa issues, so no other Danish acts made the bill though the remainder of the band was still in attendance. After a shambling, mediocre set from locals The Elephants, Figurines took the stage and did their thing. Let me tell you, that band is a well-oiled machine. They are a great example of what a tight band should sound like. After quietly opening with "Back in the day", they set into "The wonder" (today's mp3) and were off and running. Drummer Kristian Volden laid down a strong four-on-the-floor backbeat and joyfully sang along to himself with every song while frontman Christian Hjelm proved to be a manic, energetic frontman. The other two guys in the band (guitarist Claus Johansen and bassist Andreas Toft) were much more nondescript, but they did their job and did it well. I'm a little disappointed they had an extra musician on stage playing guitar, keyboard and percussion to help them perfectly replicate their album, but since he didn't distract from the overall experience, it's kind of a moot point. I feel that a rawer live sound would have benefitted them. Anyhow, it was a very good set and I think the audience appreciated it. A few of the midtempo songs dragged a bit due to the crowd's lack of familiarity with the material, but the fast songs caught their attention and the two slower numbers ("Silver ponds" and "Rivalry") were very engaging. The band plays Portland tonight, goes back to Seattle this weekend for a radio appearance and an in-store then travels to LA and SXSW. Look for them to be back this summer. My short interview with Christian should hopefully be online sometime this weekend.