Figurines

Get out your saffron scarves and your paisley ties for the return of the Figurines — you’ll need them. Since the release of their affable debut Skeleton in 2005, they’ve gone for a lark through Haight-Ashbury, skipping along to their old Beach Boys records. As a result, they’ve left their jangle-y ’90s bounciness far behind in the quest for a bigger, more complex ’60s psych pop sound. Those deadheads in Golden Gate Park would have approved — you can almost picture the fog machine and light show on opener "Childhood Verse,” while "Half Awake, Half Aware” is a tripped out, perfect love-in anthem. Both in ambition and execution, When The Deer Wore Blue is a major step up for the Figurines. What with the organs, interweaving harmonies and echo-y production, these Danes certainly seem to be having a lot of fun in the studio, occasionally at the expense of the songs — you can hear them losing their way a touch on "Drunkard’s Dream” and "Lips Of The Soldier.” Still, considering what a drastic change of course this is, they’ve navigated it capably, discovering some certifiable pop treasures along the way.