Though a band with only four members, Rogue Wave always manages to sound like it's backed by an entire symphony (think Band of Horses without the borderline-cliche crescendos). Instead of providing just a bass line and a rhythm, the ins and outs of the instrumental melodies are their own lyrics, a rich context to the ones sung by frontman and vocalist Zack Rogue.It's not the most memorable track on its newest album, "Asleep at Heaven's Gate," but "Like I Needed" still commands the ear. Screechy guitars and heartfelt "Oooh oohs" supply an intricate background for almost nonsensical lyrics -- "Camel toe with water fiction / Cannot go with Finn" -- though they do take an enigmatically geeky turn with "These aren't the droids you're looking for," an oft-quoted line from 1977's "Star Wars." Like a lot of good poems, the listener can interpret it for himself: If you want the song to be about literature, "Finn" (all the lyrics in the booklet are lowercase, so I'm assuming it's capitalized) could be Huckleberry Finn (or about the Netherlands, a person from Finland; or about a party you ought to leave, a Mickey Finn).
And in the wistful chorus, is Rogue singing "Like I needed" as in a sneering "As if I needed that" or a grateful "That's exactly what I needed"? It could go either way. It's likely any vantage point can make you see whatever you want: It can be either a lament or a celebration, a Ginsberg-esque social commentary or the soundtrack for a sci-fi marathon.
