Personnel: Zach Rogue (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, pump organ, Wurlitzer organ, synthesizer, percussion); Evan Farrell (vocals, guitar, electric guitar, lap steel guitar, piano, Wurlitzer organ, percussion); Patrick Spurgeon (vocals, guitar, electric guitar, autoharp, accordion, piano, organ, pump organ, glockenspiel, xylophone, upright bass, drums, bass drum, cymbals, tambourine, percussion, chimes); Gram Lebron (vocals, guitar, electric guitar, Fender Rhodes piano, Wurlitzer organ, vibraphone, drums, percussion); Bill Racine (guitar, trumpet, drum programming); Gene Park (viola); Aerielle Levy (cello).

Audio Mixers: Zach Rogue; Bill Racine; Patrick Spurgeon; John Goodmanson.

Recording information: Sound Wave Studios, Oakland, CA (02/2005-03/2005); Supernatural Sound, Oregon City, OR (02/2005-03/2005); Tarbox Road Studio, Fredonia, NY (02/2005-03/2005).

Rogue Wave's second album is at its heart no great departure from their first. Like Out of the Shadow, Descended Like Vultures is indie rock through and through. There isn't a moment that doesn't feel influenced, borrowed, or previously released by Death Cab, Elliott Smith, Yo La Tengo, Lou Barlow, and so on. Luckily there also isn't a moment that's not tuneful, exciting, or ingratiating; it's second-hand but runs just like new. Indeed, sweet vocal harmonies, melodies that hook you instantly, and arrangements that envelop you in their gooey goodness are still the backbone of the Rogue Wave sound. And again there is a nice mix of rockers ("10:1," "Publish My Love"), mellow and intimate acoustic ballads ("California," "Temporary"), and moody pop tunes ("Catform," "Are You on My Side"). This time out Zach Rogue is joined by a full band, though it's mainly Pat Spurgeon who plays jack of all by providing able backing on drums, guitars, keys, bass, and autoharp. This reliance on other people doesn't tamper with the winning formula much, though the production does. Unlike the first album, which had a homey, lo-fi energy, this one feels shiny and professional like it was cut by real musicians doing it for real in a real studio. The guitars are thick and layered, the drums upfront and loud, the lead vocals very lush and reverbed. It gives the album's big ballads like the opening "Bird on a Wire" or the ebbing-and-flowing "You" a naturally epic feel that other bands have to try way too hard to achieve. Unfortunately, on the rest of the record it adds an extra layer of studio realness that takes away most of the intimate charm the group had so much of previously. With Descended Like Vultures, Rogue Wave have become just another indie rock band, one that has delivered a strong album without a weak song on it, but a real band just the same. Hopefully, the people who fell in love with the first album will stick with Rogue Wave and see through the shine to the substance, because it is there and the album is good, just in a different way. ~ Tim Sendra

On its second Sub Pop album, DESCENDED LIKE VULTURES, the San Francisco quartet Rogue Wave makes a notable departure from its debut, OUT OF THE SHADOW. While the earlier disc has an airy, lo-fi sound that's enhanced by subtle electronics, much of VULTURES is amped-up indie-rock bolstered by dense arrangements. "Publish My Love" features alternately chiming and driving surges of guitars, while "10:1" careens along on layered keyboard lines and a propulsive beat. Frontman Zach Rogue often sounds like a less troubled younger brother of Elliott Smith, particularly on the record's mellower moments, including the folk-tinged "California" and the dreamy "You." Although Rogue Wave fans may initially be perplexed by VULTURES, the album reveals a more ambitious aspect of the band, and repeated listens reveal its many charms.