Holler, Wild Rose!

Two fundamental strains of sweeping, expansive sound define much of today's independent rock landscape. One draws from U2 and Jeff Buckley, placing the singer's voice and words at the forefront while the instrumentation merely frames that commanding presence. The other follows the post-rock path, where vocals, when present, function as one more texture among many, as heard in the work of Sigur Rós, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Do Make Say Think, Explosions in the Sky, and, in large measure, both Radiohead and Broken Social Scene. Holler, Wild Rose! stands apart by fusing flamboyant vocal delivery with equally panoramic arrangements, effectively pairing a Jeff Buckley-inspired frontman with a group devoted to gradual crescendos and explosive payoffs.

The group, headquartered in northern New Jersey, first assembled in 2002 under the name aDive. After electing to rename themselves after one of their own compositions—which later served as the opening cut of their first full-length—the musicians settled into the lineup of vocalist and guitarist John Mosloskie, lead guitarist Ryan Cheresnick, keyboardist and guitarist Mike Ortega, rhythm guitarist Lou D'Elia, bassist Scott Vangenderen, and drummer Ryan Smyth. Recording sessions for the debut album commenced in 2005. The following year the band signed with the fledgling Backlight Records imprint and made their initial appearance on the label's compilation Other Songs and Dances, Vol. 1 with the track "Victory Shine," sharing the collection with Duncan Sheik and Vesper. Their first album, Our Little Hymnal, arrived in autumn 2007.