The twinkling indie rock Rogue Wave conjured for Sub Pop fit perfectly on the Seattle label’s roster. Over the course of two albums, the Oakland, California, group functioned as a wispier version of The Shins; brooding art-school dreamers to the latter’s poetic English-major musings.
Weirdly enough, now that Rogue Wave has jumped ship to the bigger Brushfire—you know, surfer-boy Jack Johnson’s label—the band has its head in the clouds even more firmly than before. In fact, anyone expecting concise pop cloudbursts should go elsewhere; Gate’s songs meander lazily, brimming with fluttering acoustic guitars, stomping piano, shimmery electronics and Zach Rogue’s honeyed vocals. The occasional nod to pop constructs—“Own Your Own Home” feels like an alternate-reality Camper Van Beethoven tune, while “Chicago X12” is a pleasant slice of jangle-folk—keeps things interesting, although Gate’s habit of ending songs with epic crescendos or extended noise-jams is unfortunate (and boring).
And indeed, the main problem with Gate involves its ambition. The album simply feels stuffed with too many ideas and sounds, which causes a lack of cohesion and creates a logjam of unfocused tunes. Tellingly, the best song on Gate is a relatively sparse affair: a somber ballad called “Missed,” where ghostly piano, delicate dull-roar riffs and Rogue sadly crooning, “Ooh, I miss you love” swirl together in lovely sadness.
ROGUE WAVE
Asleep At Heaven's Gate
** 1/2