Rogue Wave

After a pair of excellent albums—2003's Out Of The Shadow and 2005's Descended Like Vultures—that mined the terrain of post-Shins airy, sensitive pop, Rogue Wave made a change for 2007's Asleep At Heaven's Gate, moving from hip indie Sub Pop to the decidedly un-hip world of Jack Johnson and his Brushfire Records imprint. The band also moved away from hooky indie rock to embrace a mellow sound that bordered on sleepiness for Heaven's Gate. Maybe that explains Rogue Wave's latest, Permalight, which makes a surprising move into electropop. The shift is tasteful and not overwhelming, but still a bit jarring for a band that hadn't shown any such inclination before. Regardless, it works pretty well—and makes what comes next for Rogue Wave even more mysterious.

Updated 07/15/2010