Rogue Wave began almost by accident. In early 2002, faced with the sort of existential crisis unique to the newly unemployed, Zach Rogue decided to take some time off from his home base of San Francisco. He set off with a one-way ticket to New York in March with the intention of recording one or two songs with a friend, in an effort to exorcise his demons both artistically and personally. He came away with both a new lease on life and an album's worth of material that would later become Rogue Wave's stunning debut, Out of the Shadow. At the end of 2002, while preparing the album for self-release, Zach rounded out the band’s lineup with the addition of Pat Spurgeon (drums/keys/samples/vocals), Sonya Westcott (bass/vocals), and Gram LeBron (guitar/keys/vocals). Zach soon realized that together the group started to “light up like fireworks” and “liked hugging each other.” Effortless friendship spawned the refreshingly organic actualization of Rogue Wave, a band whose commitment to song-craft and to each other is nothing short of astounding.   Out of the Shadow was originally released in a limited quantity on the band’s own Responsive Recordings label in early 2003. It is a gentle, undeniable charmer full of the naturally timeless sophistication and fierce, penetrating hooks that define a classic album. Rogue Wave’s climactic payoffs aren’t what this band is solely about, though. Live, Zach Rogue’s aberrant pop is realized here together with Pat, Sonya, and Gram with exacting precision and infectious enthusiasm that is as subtle and fluid as it is insistent. As a unit, the band’s preternatural ability to effortlessly highlight the finer points—spectral layers of delicately placed pedal steel, understated moog and upright bass—makes their moving arrangements all the more enchanting.     Soon after their formation, Rogue Wave found themselves invited to play shows with bands like Spoon, Destroyer, Mates of State, Super Furry Animals, The Clientele and The Shins. “Rogue Wave seems like a classic Bay Area band, in the tradition of Thinking Fellers and Barbara Manning—they’ve just got that vibe,” gushed Carl Newman, The New Pornographers’ vocalist and songwriter. And he’s right—the quartet effused vitality, all the while infusing their damaged melodies with casual charm.    Released in 2005, Descended Like Vultures is Rogue Wave’s second album for Sub Pop. It would be the first time the band’s leader made a record with a whole group -- Rogue, Spurgeon, Le Bron, and new bass player Evan Farrell – in the studio. They spent 10 days with Bill Racine (who also produced Out Of The Shadow with Rogue) at Supernatural Sound in Oregon City, OR, resulting in the creation of 11 tracks that journey through a dreamy landscape inspired by several decades of classic rock and pop (from Fleetwood Mac to Neil Young to My Bloody Valentine.)   For the first time as an entire unit, Rogue Wave went out of its way to create a free-flowing album that includes equal amounts of tension, release and resolution. In the process, they made a brilliantly layered, expertly crafted album that changes shape with repeated spins.    Zach Rogue offers this on Out of the Shadow: “There’s an innocence and openness to this album, probably because I had literally no idea what I was doing. I made sketches of the songs on 4-track, and by and large, the structure of the songs didn’t change too much in the studio.   “Largely recorded under the cover of very late night at Bearsville because I didn’t have the money to officially record in a studio, I thought Bill and I were making better-sounding demos. But the more we tracked, the more it seemed like it could be a real album. While it felt like the most exciting thing that ever happened to me, I didn’t exactly think it would be heard by anyone except maybe my friends and family. When it was done, I used it as a way to recruit a band on Craigslist. I wish I could remember what I wrote in that posting.   “These 4-track demos are some other song ideas I was kicking around at the time. I’m really fond of the live version of that Neil Young song ("Wrecking Ball") we did with the Helio Sequence. We got along so well with those guys and I loved it when Pat and Benjamin shared the drum kit. Controlled chaos.”   As for Descended Like Vultures, Zach Rogue had this to say, “This is the sound of a road weary but energized band. Once Rogue Wave started touring on Out of the Shadow, we seemingly never stopped. And when we weren’t touring, we were knocking out new song ideas at our rehearsal space in Oakland. Descended was recorded in two parts: Pat and I tracked a handful of songs with Bill (Racine) at Tarbox, where he was House Engineer. We were obsessed with the Flaming Lips and hoped we could through osmosis absorb some of that Dave Fridmann magic. All we wanted to do was experiment in the studio. Some nights I slept in the live room under the piano. The rest we did as a full band at Supernatural, just south of Portland, OR. When we first submitted the LP to Sub Pop, they said we needed to trim it down. This 20th Anniversary version is as we originally intended it, with weird autoharp pieces I wrote in the studio and some of the other songs we wanted in there.    “When I wrote and tracked “Eyes” at my house in Oakland, I demoed some other songs as well, which is where the demos for “Dropout” and “Desperate” come from. “When We Begin” is a song we were asked to submit for the Olympics, but the committee, in their wise judgement, rejected. We were asked to record a cover of the Pixies’ “Debaser” for the TV show The OC. After we finished that more rocking version, we stayed in the studio and tried playing it a different way live. It took us about a hundred takes to play it without messing it up, but we finally got it.”   Earlier this year, Rogue Wave’s “Eyes,” which is included here with the bonus material for Descended Like Vultures, was certified as a Gold-selling single by the RIAA.     What People Have Said About Rogue Wave’s  Out of the Shadow & Descended Like Vultures:  “Think Doug Martsch fronting the Shins and playing the sweetest Carl Newman jams ever.” [Out Of The Shadow] 5/5, Alternative Press    “Out of the Shadow's blissful indie-pop tunes are as affecting as they are catchy.” Dusted   “Their Sub Pop debut overflows with breezy, Pacific Northwest harmonies, lush vocals and strummed guitar work that beats a path similar to The Shins' Oh, Inverted World and Elliott Smith's XO.” [Out of the Shadow] Pitchfork   “The bicoastal milieu of Out of the Shadow is apparent: It reflects both a lush, sunny "California Dreamin'" temperament, and Gotham's grimy, melancholic disposition.’ 7.8/10, Pitchfork   “Not a weak link or bit of filler to be found anywhere, either. Out of the Shadow is an indie dream come true.” 4.5/5, All Music   “Deceptively inventive, darkly melodic Simon & Garfunkel and (Elliott) Smithisms.” [Out of the Shadow] NME   “Tightly packed with ‘Eight Days A Week’-style harmonies and immaculate, 12-string strumming” [Out of the Shadow] MOJO   “Rogue's high, gentle vocals and halcyon harmonies mask lyrics that are occasionally dark and cynical--but never mushy.” [Descended Like Vultures] A-, Entertainment Weekly   “One of the year's best.” [Descended Like Vultures] Billboard   “A perfect mix of tender melodies and rock and roll.” [Descended Like Vultures] 8/10, Under the Radar   “a more visceral, immediate effort.” [Descended Like Vultures] 7.8/10, Pitchfork “...a musical ambition that flirts with the experimental, but remains joyously within reach of the FM dial.” [Descended Like Vultures] 8/10, Uncut