Rogue Wave

Rogue Wave's debut, 2004's Out of the Shadows, was a bittersweet album of '60s-inspired pop ideal for melodists and English Lit students who had gone too long between Shins albums. It was the work of one man -- Oakland's Zach Rogue (born Zach Schwartz), who recorded the album before even cobbling together a band on craigslist. That album itched with a feeling of quiet discontent, despite its bright Beach Boys harmonies. The delivery was muted, as if Rogue were afraid that playing too loud might disturb his neighbors. On their followup, 2005's Descended Like Vultures, Rogue and his bandmates burst forth with a fuller sound that was not only bigger than Out of the Shadows, but also a little meaner and more cynical. These days, the act sounds much less like the Shins -- which is surely Rogue's way of stepping out of the shadow that has dogged him thus far.