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Permalight - Overexposed.

bb | 10/04/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Permalight seemed too monochromatic when I first listened. Sure, "Solitary Gun" is a chugging kind of catchy, but really none of these songs stay with you. There's a thin line between filler and real content--and that's what makes Permalight so tricky: these are all good songs, no clunker. But They all straddle the line of merely good filler.



Aside from that, Rogue Wave seems to have indulged a little more of their anglophilia (you'll catch a whiff of a faux-Brit accent throughout). "Good Morning," like a lot of the album, sees RW drifting toward electro-funk with a weird 80s freak-robot-spook bridge, but the classic hooks are there. It's new for them (in a drum machine kind of way) but it works. Think of Asleep At Heaven's Gate's "Phonytown," extending its interests.



"Stars and Stripes" is Wave elvolving, but in a suitible and natural way, as in it doesn't sound contrived or forced. But the title cut is more electro-stomp 80s, which is all fine and good, but when you realize that that's the indie vogue right now, and that Rogue Wave have kind of abandoned their established (sometimes haunting) indie sound to chase it, it lets you down.



The album starts strong (I like all the first six, regardless of artistic integrity), but drifts a little from there. "Fear Itself" is unconvincing, but still musically interesting, and very catchy. The next few songs, though, reach for pop success but don't feel as rewarding as some of their previous work.



Still, Permalight closes on a strong note. "I'll Never Leave You" is softer, a throwback to old school Rogue Wave, and "You Have Boarded" is heavily vocally distorted (in a good way) British Invasion with a nice guitar lick. And then the micro-cut "All That Remains" rushes in with acoustic guitars and a born-again chorus; a fitting and quirky closer.



Overall, if you follow Rogue Wave in from Out of the Shadow, Publish My Love, and Asleep at Heaven's Gate, you may be let down. These are all solid tunes but nothing catches you quite like "Endgame," "Perfect," "Manna," or the rediculously catchy hit "Lake Michigan." It seems that RW was frustrated at never striking crosssover indie gold and Permalight could be readymade to that end. If you like the current indie retro New Wave environment, give it a try. And if you're a long time fan you should still pick it up. Just know Permalight is not transcendant.



"

More please

A. Feck | Bakersfield, CA USA | 05/13/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hoping that some older Rogue Wave ends up in the 100 albums for $5 soon. Can't stop listening to it."

Late-90s revival? For fans of Foo Fighters, Elliott Smith, O

Geoffrey Caveney | Chicago | 04/24/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm new to Rogue Wave, so I don't have the perspective of the long time fans. All I can say is, it's the best pop music of 2010 I've heard so far. It reminds me of the pleasantly catchy pop you heard on alternative radio in the mid-late '90s: Think Foo Fighters' "Big Me" ("It's you...I fell into") and Oasis' "Wonderwall". I hear a lot of Elliott Smith here too. Now I loved XO and Either/Or just as much as Roman Candle and Elliott Smith, so maybe you can compare that to new vs. old Rogue Wave as well.



Also, I commend Rogue Wave for putting the two best tracks at the beginning of the album. I prefer to get hooked in first, which keeps me happy while the rest of the album grows on me.



This is not groundbreaking music. If "retro" can apply to the sound of 1995-1999 music now, that's what this is. I for one love it."