Good for: shopping with purpose at H&M, replacing the earworm whistling refrain of PBJ hit "Young Folks" with the earworm cowbell refrain of "Second Chance."

Story: Durable and adventurous Swedish pop rock band releases its sixth album, which finds the trio tightening up and getting down to business with an infectious blast of pep and pop that's more immediate and less experimental than 2009's Living Thing.

Reminds us of: sunshine, moustaches and tight pants.

Highlights: bouncy and bright "Dig a Little Deeper," the cowbell bangin' "Second Chance" and the punky, minute-and-half burst of hyperactive heartache "Breaker Breaker."

Peter Bjorn and John play Venue May 11.

--Michael Kissinger

Radio Dept.

Passive Aggressive: Singles 2002-2010

Labrador

Genre: shoe gazer, dream pop, lo-fi.

Mood: fuzzy, lush, hazy.

Good for: hiding out in your bedroom during cold spells, long drives across the Tundra.

Story: After releasing 2010's well-received Clinging to a Scheme, long-serving Swedish indie band Radio Dept. gets the retrospective treatment with a two-disc collection of chronologically ordered singles and b-sides that run the gamut of bedroom home recordings and shoe gazer atmospherics to Pet Shop Boys synth pop.

Reminds us of: girls on retro bikes, My Bloody Valentine covering New Order.

Highlights: the fuzzed-out bliss of "Where Damage Isn't Already Done," the sunny and soulful "Heaven's on Fire," which sounds a little like French pop band Tahiti 80.

--MK

Figurines

The Control Group

Genre: indie rock.

Mood: heartfelt, uplifting, proggy.

Good for: testing your tolerance for high-voiced male singers whose name isn't Geddy Lee.

Story: Danish trio releases new self-titled album four years after 2007's largely ignored When the Deer Wore Blue, which pretty much killed any critical buzz from when the band was regularly compared to the Strokes and Built to Spill. Leaving behind the psychedelic excursions of Deer, Figurines' latest is touted as a "return to form."

Reminds us of: Built to Spill, largely due to singer Christian Hjelm's high-pitched nasally voice, but also because of the band's intricate, guitar-laden arrangements. Throw a little Beach Boys in for good measure.

Highlights: "Hanging From Above," "Free Today" and "Every Week."

--MK

mkissinger@vancourier.com