Monday, January 26, 2009

department of eagles - in ear park

every week i write a column called "down time" for the weekly LSJ publication called NOISE. after my sister and almost every other employee was laid off by Gannett during massive cut backs somehow i managed to keep my job at a whopping six dollars per column, i don't even know what i do it anymore, but either way, i will post the weekly reviews on here as well as occasional throwback reviews from my personal archives

on this particular review i really wanted to mention how much this record sounds just like grizzly bear simply without ed droste, but i try not to make comparisons within my massive 150 word columns. either way i like this department of eagles record a lot, even if it does "drear" a lot. i feel like i would be better friends with Daniel Rossen instead of Ed Droste, and another good track i did not get to mention on here is called "herringbone", check this stuff out


Down time: Department of Eagles
Adam Smith | Columnist for NOISE -- buzzo113@hotmail.com


Department of Eagles is the project of Daniel Rossen and Fred Nicolaus that started in 2000 in New York, but was put on hold when Rossen joined Grizzly Bear in 2004. After experiencing success and musical growth with Grizzly Bear, Rossen returned to Department of Eagles and released "In Ear Park" (4AD) in 2008.

Simply put, "No One Does It Like You" is the best song on the record. The song uses subtle instrumentation to create a catchy rhythmic beat, glazed over with beautiful vocal melodies and filled out with a perfect bass line. "Teenagers" is another upbeat track that showcases shimmering guitars and multiple vocal tracks to create a spectacular hook. "Phantom Other" is a song that, like most of the record, is very slow, but builds up momentum and grows into a beautiful ballad.

Using a simple approach, Rossen and Nicolaus have created a perfect record for simply calming down.

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