Department Of Eagles - In Ear Park(Advance)[2008]

buniek

Artist: Department Of Eagles
Title: In Ear Park
Label: 4AD
Genre: Indie
Bitrate: 162kbit av.
Time: 00:42:11
Size: 51.14 mb
Rip Date: 2008-09-26
Str Date: 2008-10-06

1. In Ear Pack 4:02
2. No One Does It. 3:56
3. Phantom Other 4:40
4. Teenagers 3:06
5. Around The Bay 5:07
6. Herring Bone 3:18
7. Classical Records 2:49
8. Waves Of Rye 4:23
9. Interlude 1:50
10. Floating On The Lehigh 6:06
11. Balmy Night 2:54

Release Notes:

Most who know Daniel Rossen will know him as the guy who plays
guitar in Grizzly Bear (and sings some of the songs), and most
who know Department of Eagles will know them as the band that
has Daniel Rossen, the guy who plays guitar and sings in
Grizzly Bear. Actually, Department of Eagles isn't really a
side-project for Rossen, as he started the band seven years
ago with his roommate at NYU, Fred Nicolaus. The two toiled on
In Ear Park off and on for four years, and although it does
definitely share some resemblance to Rossen's other band,
Department of Eagles have forged their own identity.

Rossen's addition to Grizzly Bear was one of the reasons for
the drastic improvement of the band from their first album,
Horn of Plenty, to their second disc, Yellow House. His songs,
like "Little Brother" and "On a Neck, On a Spit" were among
the best on Yellow House. On In Ear Park, he takes center
stage. Rossen's voice is a good, if unspectacular one, and he
conjures a jazzy folk balladeer in many of the songs. The
tracks on In Ear Park are still loaded with full sound and
arrangements, but seem a little more straightforward than with
Grizzly Bear.

The album places many of its best songs in the beginning. "In
Ear Park" begins with a trilling acoustic guitar and strings
before nestling into a pretty chamber-folk song. "No One Does
It Like You," with its shuffling fuzz bass, is reminiscent of
'50s doo-wop if it was reflected by boogie rock. Department of
Eagles are strongest when they're exploring territory Rossen
doesn't normally cover. "Teenagers" is perhaps the best
example, as it's also one of the biggest departures, full of
ragtime piano, echoing slide guitar, and a more expressive
vocal. "Classical Records" is also an arresting and unexpected
song, mixing an ominous, foreboding ambience with some lovely
vocals.

Department of Eagles will inevitably receive comparisons to
Grizzly Bear, with justifiable reason. Chris Taylor, the
bassist/jack-of-all-trades in Grizzly Bear, recorded and
produced In Ear Park. Grizzly Bear's drummer, Chris Bear, also
plays on the album. So three-quarters of the band had a hand
in In Ear Park, and it sounds like it immensely at times. The
lush vocal arrangements and complex instrumentation that are
hallmarks of Grizzly Bear are well represented on In Ear Park.
Fans of Grizzly Bear will likely enjoy the album, but it also
suffers somewhat in comparison. Rossen's vocals are more
effective when they're alternated with Ed Droste's. When he's
singing the majority of the tracks, his delivery can become a
little predictable at times. The album's slower numbers, such
as "Herring Bone" and "Floating on the Lehigh," aren't nearly
as strong as the more dynamic Department of Eagles songs.
Also, his songwriting occasionally becomes repetitive. Parts
of "Phantom Other" sound quite close to the live version of
Grizzly Bear's "Little Brother" that was captured on their
Friend EP.

However, Department of Eagles is hardly a vanity project. It
is more of an extension of Rossen's songwriting, highlighting
a more electronic end of his troubadour folk songs. A song
like "Therapy Car Noise," with a memorably moody interlude,
wouldn't fit on a Grizzly Bear record. Though it may not match
the heights of his other band, Rossen leads Department of
Eagles' In Ear Park to an enjoyable album.