A Beefy Skeleton
Written: Apr 18 '06 (Updated Jun 14 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Just about everything on this album.
Cons: Few on this album. It doesn't have great replay value.
The Bottom Line: Fans of 90's indie rock just buy it. Take my word for it.
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| knowncutter's Full Review: Skeleton - Figurines |
Isaac Brock.
I apologize for the abrupt incomprehensiveness of my initial proceedings, but I figure I might as well set the record for quickest reference to the Modest Mouse front man during a review of Danish indie rock combo Figurines. After all, Figurines lead singer Christian Hjelm sounds almost exactly like Brock would if he had better range and didn’t possess such a charming lisp. My point here is if you’re one of those poor, unfortunate souls who despise Brock’s vocals with every fiber of your being you’ll probably find Bro… I mean Hjelm, although not nearly as abrasive, to be vomit inducing. That’s fine; it’ll leave one of the best albums so far this year for the rest of us misfits.
Figurines sophomore effort, Skeleton, is a non stop rush of blood to the head (fortunately not in any way related to Coldplay). The Danes don’t do anything innovative but they combine the best aspects of 90’s indie rock, bands like Pavement, Built to Spill, and Modest Mouse, to form an undeniably addictive piece of work. The album is very much in the same vein as Tapes ‘n Tapes the Loon except Figurines make a concerted effort to sound polished. The hooks are about as difficult to miss as my 350 pound uncle amongst a crowd of Ethiopian children (a sight more common than one might expect) and Figurines want no part in concealing them. These are intended to be insanely catchy pop songs with little of the Modest Mouse style wackiness Hjelm’s voice might suggest.
Oddly enough Skeleton begins with an anomaly when compared to the rest of the free flowing action on the album. Race You proceeds entirely on the merits of Hjelm’s vocals and a soft piano, eventually adding some barely detectable acoustic strums. Right away it becomes clear that Hjelm can indeed sing as his voice fluctuates in and out of a falsetto worthy of Neil Young. It also is made evident that Figurines can craft a memorable melody even without much instrumentation.
The bands real sound though announces its presence immediately with the rapidly fired electric guitar of The Wonder. Throughout the album Figurines pick up a frenetic pace without abandoning their all important melodic structure. In many ways the majority of songs on Skeleton are what Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! would’ve sounded like if they left off the elongated jam sessions and kept all their songs under three minutes.
Most of the songs adhere to this formula but fortunately there are a fair share of tracks that deviate from what could’ve quickly become stale excitement. Silver Ponds is a great example of the album taking a collective breath from the romping while still producing what may in fact be the best song on the album. Ponds takes on a more poignant approach, although not by slowing the music down much, to gather an emotive response from the listener.
The album closer, Release Me on the Floor, is quite possibly the most effective conclusion to an album this decade. It features two voices singing the same lyrics in both emotionless and Brock-esque tones and builds up steadily throughout the song until finally reaching the overwhelmingly emotional jam, complete with Arcade Fire ohhs and ahhs.
In the end Figurines, despite what may appear to be clear cut mimicry of other bands, create a sound that can solely be identified as their own. Any and all fans of ridiculously accessible rock shouldn’t hesitate to check these guys out.
Song Rankings
$= Great song worth your money
Download (essentially steal)= Good song
Skip= Average filler
Garbage= Terrible track
1. Race You- Download
2. The Wonder- $
3. All Night- Download
4. Silver Ponds- $
5. Ambush- $
6. Rivalry- Download
7. I Remember- $
8. Other Plans- $
9. Ghost Towns- Download
10. Continuous Songs- Download
11. Fiery Affair- $
12. Wrong Way All the Way- Download
13. Back in the Day- Download
14. Release Me on the Floor- $
Mid Year 2006 top 16
Recommended:
Yes
Great Music to Play While: Exercising
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Epinions.com ID:
knowncutter
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Member: Dave X
Location: Scranton
Reviews written: 138
Trusted by: 23 members
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