Rogue Wave Out Of The Shadow CD

Rogue Wave: Zach Rogue.
Personnel: Dominic East (lap steel guitar); Alex Sterling (Wurlitzer organ, Moog synthesizer); Malcolm Cecil (synthesizer, upright bass); Nathan Petty (drums).
Additional personnel: Dominic East (pedal steel guitar); Alex Sterling (Wurlitzer piano, background vocals); Malcolm Cecil (double bass); Nathan Perry (drums).
Audio Mixers: Zach Rogue; Bill Racine.
Audio Remasterer: John Cuniberti.
Recording information: Applewood, Woodstock, NY; Hitwall, San Francisco, CA; Hole, Oakland, CA.
Out of the Shadow by Rogue Wave is one of the better records to completely slip under the radar in 2003. The band is mostly the product of Zach Rogue's low-key brilliance as he writes, sings, and plays everything except for drums and the occasional guitar part. Zach has a great voice with the range to reach some very high and pretty notes. He also has an ear for arrangement and a knack for hooky songwriting. The sound of the record is pitched somewhere between Elephant 6 (without the icky whimsy) and the Northwest gloomcore merchants like Built to Spill or Death Cab for Cutie (without the gloom), with a little bit of classic Baroque folk (Simon & Garfunkel) on the fringes. The songs are split between full-band songs like the charging "Every Moment," the strutting Kinks-flavored "Seasick on Land," or the tough "Endless Shovel" and solo acoustic-based tracks like the bubble-sweet "Be Kind & Remind," the lap steel melancholic "Postage Stamp World," or the very Simon-esque "Man-Revolutionary!." Not a weak link or bit of filler to be found anywhere, either. "Out of the Shadows" is an indie dream come true. A dream like another great Elliott Smith record, or a Sebadoh record that isn't an embarrassment, or a Neutral Milk Hotel record that makes sense. You get the picture. Thanks to Sub Pop for the reissue and for rescuing this gem from the obscurity of microindie wasteland. ~ Tim Sendra
Although it practically defined "grunge" in the early 1990s with albums by Nirvana, Mudhoney, and Soundgarden, Sub Pop Records hit a slump at the end of the decade. However, around 2003, the label was reinvigorated by the success of the Shins, the Postal Service, and Iron & Wine, newer artists that placed melody over pure volume. The San Francisco quartet Rogue Wave was one of the first bands signed to Sub Pop after this renaissance, and its easy to see why--the group plays 1960s-inspired pop that veers into both folk and rock territory.
Rogue Wave's debut, OUT OF THE SHADOW, opens with the chiming guitars and prominent vocal harmonies of "Every Moment." The quartet ventures down a sunny, acoustic guitar-paved path with "Be Kind - Remind," but what truly distinguishes the song, and many other tracks on the album, is the subtle yet distinctive use of electronics. Throughout the record, these literal bells and whistles serve to enhance the tunes rather than distract from them. Equally apt to rock out or settle into a mellow groove, Rogue Wave is sure to impress indie-pop fans that like their music smart and quirky.Uncut (p.106) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Inventively hook-laden, crammed with joyous harmonies and lo-fi studio trickery, this is the sound of a creative spirit rejuvenated and unleashed."
Alternative Press (p.124) - 5 out of 5 - "A cornucopia of drowsy, hypnotic hits, it's everything you could possibly ask for in an album but never seem to get."
Magnet (p.121) - "Chirping birds, wobbly sheet metal and subtle Moog effects usher OUT OF THE SHADOW into a realm that's both delicate and otherworldly."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.100) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[P]aced with 'Eight Days A Week'-style harmonies and immaculate, 12-string strumming. Zach and co fashion a Technicolor, topiary-sculpted world, redolent of summer breezes and Tupperware."