If you are like me, you are probably thinking, “Isn’t it about time The Shins
came out with a new album?” As far as I know, they aren’t, so in the meantime,
fill your Shins shaped hole with Rogue
Wave. Their album is called Out of the Shadow, and it is pure bliss.
I know I praise a bunch of bands, but this album has to be one of the best releases
of 2004. Being just introduced to them myself, I can’t tell you that much about
them. This cd is a remastered version of their original limited release from 2003.
They toured with The Shins, A.C. Newman, and Helio Sequence. From what I have
heard, their live shows definitely held their own in the company of those great
bands. This is definitely a band to keep an eye on.

Low expectations can be a wonderful thing. The person who gave me Universal Audio by Delgados hated it and since we usually have similar tastes, I almost didn’t listen to it. I put this album in the category of The New Pornographers and Belle and Sebastian. For one thing, they all rotate between male and female vocals. More than that though, they all have an optimistic tone behind wonderfully unapologetic pop melodies. Delgados are less quirky than New Pornographers and more approachable than Belle and Sebastian. That is part of the charm of those two groups, so Delgados sort of lack a defining personality trait. The songs are so well written, that I don’t really mind, though. Check them out if you get the chance.