Album Review: Department of Eagles In Ear Park
8
Great albums often smack you right in the face, telling you immediately upon first listen who and what they are. Sometimes, though, a great album just sort of sneaks up on you. Department of Eagles’ In Ear Park is one of those albums. Grizzly Bear’s Daniel Rossen returns to his first musical outfit (with his NYU roommate, Fred Nicolaus) to release a follow-up to their 2003 LP, The Cold Nose.
Most of the songs are very subtle in their convictions, making their biggest impact the second they end. The tracks feature ambient guitars and melodic vocals, and carry you along with them through the ups and downs of the record. Album highlight and single, “No One Does it Like You,” is an indie-pop gem that sounds like it could have been released decades ago. The same can be said for many other tracks, including the Beatle esque “Teenager,” and the post-Wing era McCartney of “Herring Bone.”
Department of Eagles seem to blend light with dark effortlessly, with all of the tracks being both gloomy and uplifting. Blurry, but bold.
Subtle, but great.
Posted: October 17th, 2008 under Reviews.
Tags: department of eagles, in ear park