Review Summary: Music for a lazy, comfortable summer day.
When it comes to Indie Rock, there are certain things that certain bands do that make them unlikeable. Pretentiousness and entitlement are both huge factors in that. Apparently, if you "DIY", then you're somehow above everyone else and their respective music tastes. It's come to be a trait of a bunch of indie bands, almost as if they're indie just so they can say "Look at us! We're Indie and we don't follow contemporary music!". They seem to forget the most important thing: Playing the music they love. That is where Rogue Wave comes in.
They released their debut album, "Out of the Shadow", in 2004, to a limited audience. It pretty much flew over peoples' heads. Fortunately, those it did reach saw it for what it is: a gem of an album that encompasses something for everyone. In my humble opinion, everyone can listen to this album and take something from it. It has that raw Indie Rock production, done almost entirely by Rogue Wave's lead singer, Zach Schwartz. It has an excellent summer feeling, with it's acoustics and sounds of birds chirping in the background. Most importantly, it lets you know that this is the music that Rogue Wave was born to play, and that they enjoy it very much.
Songs such as "Be Kind & Remind", "Postage Stamp World", and "Falcon Settles Me" are excellent acoustic tracks, with Schwartz' sweet-as-honey voice complementing the atmosphere excellently. "Endgame" is my personal favorite, with an extremely catchy lead played through a wurlitzer. The lyrics are the album's weak spot, mainly due to the vagueness of them, especially on "Seasick on Land". Despite this vagueness, they are solid on songs like "Nourishment Nation".
Rogue Wave made an excellent collection of tunes, and did it without a strong sense of entitlement or pretentiousness.This Indie gem may have been overlooked when it was released in 2004, but it should not be overlooked today.
