Do you know what it's like to have a slipped disc in your neck? I do, and if it weren't for the spinal tap and blood patch procedures that followed, it would probably be the most painful experience in my life. Rogue Wave singer/guitarist Zach Rogue suffered two slipped discs in his neck, essentially rendering him paralyzed for a span of months. When his condition improved and the songwriting muse began to call again, like many who've been laid up for a significant time, it seems like he just wanted his life back: Rogue made Permalight, the most active, physical, and fun album the Oakland band has ever released.
Rogue Wave have two solid albums to their name (Out of the Shadow, Descended Like Vultures), but both used distorted guitars for texture more than visceral force, and had no dance-related influence unless you count playing in waltz time. Unfortunately, and perhaps predictably, their new drive can be awkward. Even more unfortunately, it's most notable on what should be their catchiest songs. "Good Morning (The Future)" seems to think the future is IDM + fey indie songwriting à la the Postal Service. (Hey, it worked for Owl City.) Both "Good Morning" and the title track are hooky, but both come off like pep talks when they hope to seem like ecstatic roars. The chintzy vocal effects aim tobe inspired production touches; instead, they feel hastily tacked on, almost arbitrary.
Otherwise, Rogue Wave succeed in making their most aggressive album. That's all relative, granted, as hinted at by cautiously aggressive titles like "We Will Make a Song Destroy", "Per Anger", and "Solitary Gun". But due to curiously anemic and trebly production, the guitars comes across thin and brittle-- a band bringing knives to a gunfight. "Per Anger" fares best because its jangle doesn't stray far from Rogue Wave's area of expertise, and "Solitary Gun" has a sturdy melody. Elsewhere, "Right With You" and "We Will Make a Song Destroy" try the Pixies' whisper/scream dichotomy but end up somewhere between R.E.M.'s Green (if we're being generous) and Better Than Ezra's angsty Friction, Baby phase (if we're being realistic).
Rogue Wave are tough to root against, considering they've experienced a run of terrible luck that could have them drinking the Wrens under the table: their "Lake Michigan" used in ill-fated Zune commercials, a split from Sub Pop records despite an astonishing track record with TV music coordinators (four songs on "The O.C." alone!), Pat Spurgeon's debilitating kidney problems, and the departure and, later, shocking death of bassist Evan Farrell. You can't blame them for not dwelling on any of that, but now that Rogue's back in good health, here's hoping his band soon does the same.
