The Figurines have officially passed on. They’ve kicked the bucket — gone on to the big sleep. Skeleton was perhaps the last time their bony metatarsals would stomp on solid ground. Their stark white bones have fallen, clanking to the concrete floor in the garage which it was conceived, but the infectiously melodic guitar lines from their sophomore album echo still and wait to blast away whoever next opens the hatch. The Figurines’ spirits, however, have moved on to more open spaces with their third full-length When the Deer Wore Blue. Their now spectral bodies travel distant pastures searching out groups surrounding campfires to begin their show.

From the opening seconds, swirling vocals meet with dreamy keys and yes, some piercing guitar leftover from their skeletal past, to add some real color (if it wasn’t obvious by the cover art alone) to the Figurines sound. All the specters are there with Christian Hjelm driving home the first lines, “All alone, All alone, I love it, I love it, I lie,” while his hazy colored minions assist with harmonious backing vocals, lush keys, and the ever-present guitar hooks. It also becomes clear, early that the boys from Denmark will be channeling some of the psych-rock classics.

“The Air We Breath” is what happens when a vinyl of Pet Sounds is tossed in the fire like it was a bag of magic dust. The resulting puff of rainbow-colored mushroom clouds warrants more than a few “oohs” and “ahhs” from the onlookers. Multiple vocal harmonies, as well as piano and psych-instrument flourishes also bolster Hjelm’s falsetto Brian Wilson impression. To rekindle the campfire they might toss in some of the Forever stuff from Arthur Lee and, of course, some Kinks-style blues garage riffs that will never go out of fashion. The Figurines asserted themselves with Skeleton quite nicely, and they could make 10 more albums just like it and have a satisfying career, but When the Deer Wore Blue is certainly more rich and developed. Not every track is as punchy as their previous work, but the unfolding of the melody and the tactical changes and genre-hopping throughout the album are a refreshing progression.

The amazing thing about this album is how much the direction does change. Whenever they feel necessary, The Figurines are able to seamlessly change styles on a whim. As soon as you feel like you are able to put your finger on exactly what they are doing, all of the sudden the spirits will dive bomb and snag up new instruments and more magic powder to dash on the fire. There are the previously mentioned Wilson-esque tunes, which are dichotomized by the single “Hey, Girl” and the fantastic “Bee Dee,” teeming with effortlessly melodic blues rock magic. Then there’s the mysterious organ hum of “Good Old Friends” and the lullaby-like “Cheap Place to Spend the Night” that suddenly breaks off into a double time snare and rant by Hjelm in which he urges, “It grows in the shadows, oh I need it.”

There’s a great moment around every corner here, and none spaced too far apart. When the Deer Wore Blue is a lush extension of The Figurines’ past. The bare bones have been fleshed out into a much more dreamy, and richly spectral album. For better or worse, they’ve escaped the garage, but retained many of the riffs and punchiness of their previous work, too. Whether it’s skeletal garage rock, or a dreamy and psychedelic spirit show, The Figurines have officially proved that whenever they’re involved, it will always be fun.

Figurines Official Site