One Track Mind

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

[ download ]

On March 2nd, Northern Californian indie act Rogue Wave will release their fourth long-player, Permalight, and will likely confound a lot of expectations along the way. Led by vocalist Zach Rogue, the band which was previously known for its introspective, psych-tinged tracks finds itself plotting a new course on their latest release. It takes Rogue Wave to places which are far more carefree and uplifting than their previous records and incorporates a lot of surprising new elements.

This radical departure has a very specific cause: back in of September 2008, Rogue awoke one morning to find that he couldn’t move. After much fear and a bedside visit by doctors (with x-ray machines in tow), it was determined that the singer had two slipped discs in his neck which were perilously pressing against his spinal cord. Sadly, the condition only deteriorated from there, with Rogue eventually losing feeling completely in his right hand and likening the experience to being tortured. Then, four excruciating months later, Rogue felt the pain begin to subside and was eventually able to make a slow recovery. As part of the process, he vowed to write “a record you could move your body to, because I couldn’t move for so long.”

Our first evidence of this new process is “Good Morning,” a jaunty, drum machine propelled track that feels much shorter than its four minute run time. The sounds here are far nearer the 8-bit spectrum than anything listeners could have ever expected from the Rogue Wave brand, with plenty of synthesizers and Mr. Wave sounding positively jubilant. It’s always difficult to judge a band after such a drastic sonic shift, but I suspect those unfamiliar with the band’s early work will point to acts like Joy Zipper, Souvenir, and Pipas. “Good Morning” does a good job of tempering its upbeat core with nice production tricks, keeping things from ever becoming too buoyant and peppy.