The Tape

Weekly Album Review: In Ear Park

Written by hKWAP on Wednesday, 8 of October , 2008 at 7:11 pm

How much should a side project resemble the project that it is set aside from? The answer certainly varies one circumstance to another. Therefore, when I was told about Department Of Eagles, which is comprised of three Grizzly Bear members: Chris Taylor, Chris Bear, Daniel Rossen, as well as college friend, Fred Nicholaus, I felt they were skating on thin ice. With such a similar lineup to Grizzly Bear, how would they prevent writing stale songs and still retain the unique styles of the musicians (a style which is totally reflective of Grizzly Bear)? After one listen, my skepticism was erased as In Ear Park had completely exceeded my expectations. Indeed, the songs are very influenced by Grizzly Bear, but have some new and fresh instrumentations, especially in regards to the guitar. One of the most unique aspects of the album is the pervasive use of low stings, not unlike some late Beatles material. The group also utilizes far more electronic and sampled sounds than Grizzly Bear, and I think it goes without saying that the vocal harmonies are unbelievable throughout.

In Ear Park opens with the title track. The use of finger plucking is reminiscent of Marcel Camargo’s work with Hour Of The Shipwreck, and sounds similar to some of Joanna Newsom’s recordings. The song has some subtle string and marching percussion arrangements and builds to a climactic sort of rock/waltz. Following “In Ear Park” is “No One Does It Like You”. The song is more upbeat with a sort of bouncy bass line. The guitar playing in unison with the vocals at the beginning is very Grizzly Bear-ish. Next is “Phantom Other”. It starts with acoustic guitar for nearly two minutes and eventually builds using some subtle, glitchy electronic sounds, alongside Chris Bear’s drums. Of all the songs on the album, I find Phantom Other to be the most obviously similar to Grizzly Bear. It is almost suspiciously similar to “Little Brother (Electric)”, which was released on the Friend EP. The first entrance of percussion in both songs is very similar as is the overall rhythmic feel. Also the tone and style of the guitar is pretty much the same, especially in the song’s respective climaxes in which the guitars have a sort of low, distorted quality. To put the icing on the cake, both “Little Brother(Electric)” and “Phantom Other” end with strummed chords in differing keys, but with precisely the same quality. Maybe the Grizzly Bear contingent of the band took this album as a opportunity to record a studio version of what was previously only a live track, and did a bit of rewriting in the process. Regardless, “Phantom Other” is definitely one of the finest tracks on In Ear Park. Track 4 is “Teenagers”, which is by far the most tongue and cheek cut on the album. The silly vintage sounding vocals along with the honky tonk piano and sometimes slightly out of tune melodies makes for a song the likes of early Van Dyke Parks, or some wired, acid driven Beatles tune. After “Teenagers” is “Around The Bay” which features a host of misc. noises accompanied by crazy sampled sounds and clapping. Next arrives “Herring Bone.” The song is pretty simple in terms of arrangement as it is almost exclusively piano and vocals-Not a whole lot tome comment on but it is still pretty great. We now come to “Classical Records.” At first, the song seems like that really pretentious noise/drone track that you pretend to like but actually can’t stand. Again, Department Of Eagles dispels all doubts as the song quickly transforms into one of the most sick and intense tracks on the album, featuring some powerful, There Will Be Blood-like strings. Nearing the end, we have “Waves Of Rye”. It is similar to “Phantom Other” in its tone, but is very piano driven and has a really cool Radiohead-esque line which starts around 27 seconds in. Next we have “Therapy Car Noise,” which is without a doubt the most amorphous and atmospheric track on In Ear Park. The title gives some indication as to the strangeness of the song. The final two tracks are “Floating On The Lehigh” and “Balmy Night.” The first embodies many of the unique elements displayed throughout the album. The latter song is a perfect way to close. It is simple, without drums, and uses the banjo as the main voice. Paying tribute to the styles of Grizzly Bear, “Balmy Night” finishes In Ear Park on a good note.(no pun)

Overall, the album is unbelievable. It is consistent and never tiresome- a definite favorite for album of the year. In Ear Park is, dare I say it, as good, if not better than Yellow House.

Take a look at the Music Videos On Tuesday for a live video of “No One Does It Like You”.

Learn more about the band at…

www.departmentofeagles.com

Here are some of my favorite tracks off In Ear Park

In Ear Park - Department of Eagles

Phantom Other - Department Of Eagles

Classical Records - Department Of Eagles

Category: Albums, hKWAP

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