Rogue Wave

The Oakland, CA band Rogue Wave was featured on a sampler a number of years ago, and that was where I first heard their song "Kicking The Heart Out" (highly recommended) and discovered the band. They are one of those bands that I like everything I hear by, but somehow still only seems like a blip on my music radar. I'm ready to change that, because they really do make some great music.

If I wanted to compare them, at least their tempo and feel, I'd say they're The Shins meet Simon & Garfunkel. Why is it, then, that the band doesn't get as much coverage as The Shins? I don't know. Perhaps the inclusion of a live version of their song "Every Moment" on the Napoleon Dynamite soundtrack (but it didn't make it into the actual movie) just isn't as good publicity as having Natalie Portman describing one of their songs as one that would "change your life", as she did for The Shins in Garden State. But they have become favorites of primetime television, so listen for them during your favorite shows.

Regardless of why they've been only a blip, they are definitely talented guys and worth checking out. Lucky for us, if you do some looking, there's plenty of legally downloadable tracks by them available out there on the net. Here's a start...

• Lake Michigan (left click)
• Every Moment
• Falcon Settles Me
• Endless Shovel
• Sightlines