"Will you be the bed for me when they set the world on fire / just to see it burn?" frontman Zach Schwartz asks on "Solitary Gun," the opening song off Rogue Wave's deliciously bouncy new record Permalight. For a band that has been through some of the hells Rogue Wave have suffered over the past few years, including the death of a former bandmate and one member's struggle with kidney failure, "Solitary Gun" is an unexpected shot in the arm, a booster of unbridled joy and money hooks that belie the song's apocalyptic images. Indeed, "Solitary Gun" is a most unlikely anthem, one that sets the tone for the rest of Permalight as a bright, buoyant beacon of hope.

Viewed through the context of the band's three-year hiatus and the tragedies the members' themselves have suffered, one would be forgiven for thinking that Permalight would be a dirge of a record, one mired in weepy indie pop and bent on exorcising the ghosts of its past. But while it does exorcise those ghosts, it does it in the most defiant way possible, through bubbling synths and lyrics about love machines like on the obscenely catchy "Good Morning (The Future)," or via quietly surging lullabies like the beautifully glacial "Sleepwalker." Gone are the dreamy guitar-pop of their past and the constant Shins references - Rogue Wave have embraced electro to buff up their strikingly powerful guitar hooks, and rather than lose themselves in a fad they assimilate it flawlessly, as one listen to single "Good Morning (The Future)" quickly proves.

That's not to say that the folksy heart of Schwartz's songwriting has been subverted by mindless hooks; rather, the electronic additions to songs like the gently swelling "Fear Itself" and the jittery hooks of "Stars and Stripes" inject a whole new kind of life into the proceedings. But at the heart of it all is Schwartz's relentlessly heartening songwriting, which floats from effortless pop-rock to whispery ballads with the same ease and, more importantly, the same strength, both lyrically and musically. It's the way the gutsy bass line and ragged guitar slowly build to a hammering chorus on "Right With You," the way "I'll Never Leave You" somehow turns one of the more clichéd sentiments in rock `n roll into a heartrending promise with just a shaker, handclaps, and some beautiful harmonies, the way that every song here just seems overwhelmed with joy. It's hard to describe the perfect hook with words, but suffice it to say that nearly every song here has that sublime ability to punch one right in the aural stomach, the place directly attached to your foot-tapping and singing-in-the-shower nerves.

This isn't a perfect record, as made evident by the annoyingly repetitive title track or the way things sort of tail off by the last two songs, but it's leagues ahead of your average indie pop album, and it's certainly Rogue Wave's best effort yet. Their ability to turn what would have wrecked many bands into an unfettered success is Permalight's biggest triumph, and the listening experience is just as enticing a treat for the listener. More than anything else, though, Permalight stands out as a life-affirming testament to the human spirit, a collection of songs that come off as just so incredibly happy, so godda** upbeat, that it's impossible not to fall in love with it, with everything.

Permalight seemed too monochromatic when I first listened. Sure, "Solitary Gun" is a chugging kind of catchy, but really none of these songs stay with you. There's a thin line between filler and real content--and that's what makes Permalight so tricky: these are all good songs, no clunker. But They all straddle the line of merely good filler.

Aside from that, Rogue Wave seems to have indulged a little more of their anglophilia (you'll catch a whiff of a faux-Brit accent throughout). "Good Morning," like a lot of the album, sees RW drifting toward electro-funk with a weird 80s freak-robot-spook bridge, but the classic hooks are there. It's new for them (in a drum machine kind of way) but it works. Think of Asleep At Heaven's Gate's "Phonytown," extending its interests.

"Stars and Stripes" is Wave elvolving, but in a suitible and natural way, as in it doesn't sound contrived or forced. But the title cut is more electro-stomp 80s, which is all fine and good, but when you realize that that's the indie vogue right now, and that Rogue Wave have kind of abandoned their established (sometimes haunting) indie sound to chase it, it lets you down.

The album starts strong (I like all the first six, regardless of artistic integrity), but drifts a little from there. "Fear Itself" is unconvincing, but still musically interesting, and very catchy. The next few songs, though, reach for pop success but don't feel as rewarding as some of their previous work.

Still, Permalight closes on a strong note. "I'll Never Leave You" is softer, a throwback to old school Rogue Wave, and "You Have Boarded" is heavily vocally distorted (in a good way) British Invasion with a nice guitar lick. And then the micro-cut "All That Remains" rushes in with acoustic guitars and a born-again chorus; a fitting and quirky closer.

Overall, if you follow Rogue Wave in from Out of the Shadow, Publish My Love, and Asleep at Heaven's Gate, you may be let down. These are all solid tunes but nothing catches you quite like "Endgame," "Perfect," "Manna," or the rediculously catchy hit "Lake Michigan." It seems that RW was frustrated at never striking crosssover indie gold and Permalight could be readymade to that end. If you like the current indie retro New Wave environment, give it a try. And if you're a long time fan you should still pick it up. Just know Permalight is not transcendant.

Vinyl arrived in perfect condition and sounds great! I love this album from beginning to end and cannot stop listening to it!

The latest work by Rogue and company is full of nice surprises. This CD is a bit more pop than the last few, but it still contains the quirkiness of their other CDs. My current favs are "Fear Itself," "Right With You," "Solitary Gun," "We Will Make a Song Destroy," and "I'll Never Leave You."

I love this album, I mean, really love it. Bon Iver had my 2009 album of the year selection, and this one could of been my 2010 selection, if it did one thing..... They should of never put the poppy "Good Morning" song on the album. Its like they stole it from some 16 year old disney sponsered singer or band. The rest of the album is pure money though. If you blended The Ocean Blue, Hoodoo Gurus, Death Cab, and a bit of R.E.M together, this album is what you get. Its to bad about that darn song though...