by Corey AparDanish indie rock outfit Figurines formed in the mid-'90s around childhood friends vocalist/guitarist Christian Hjelm, bassist Andreas Toft, and guitarist/vocalist Claus Salling Johansen. The guys began practicing at a local school and initially all three played guitar until Toft took up bass and Johansen manned the drums. They began playing gigs around their hometown of Aalborg, and in the fall of 2001, Figurines recorded the five-song EP The Detour. Finished up over the course of one weekend, the EP sold out quickly and the trio soon signed to Denmark indie Morningside Records. By the year's end, drummer Kristian Volden (aka Volle) had joined the group and Johansen moved back to playing guitar. Boasting a lo-fi sound with elements of bands like Modest Mouse, Pavement, and Built to Spill turning up, the quartet began recording its debut, Shake a Mountain, in December 2002. Completed on weekends between school (both colle...