In Ear Park

Department of Eagles | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 7, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: 4ad Records
• ASIN: B001BL8J1Y
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,715 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. In Ear Park

2. No One Does It

3. Phantom Other

4. Teenagers

5. Around The Bay

6. Herring Bone

7. Classical Records

8. Waves Of Rye

9. Therapy Car Noise

10. Floating On The Lehigh

11. Balmy Night

Editorial Reviews

In Ear Park is a colorful and expansive album, an intimate and personal collection of songs; much of the material that Daniel brought to In Ear Park draws on memories from his childhood, especially those relating to his father, who passed away in 2007 and to whom the album is dedicated (the title track is a nickname for a park in Los Angeles that the two used to visit). Many of Fred's contributions relate to similar themes of nostalgia and mortality, giving the album at times an elegiac feel. In Ear Park is also full of joyful moments, lush production and concise songwriting. From the early demos to the final mix, it took roughly four years for the group to complete this new collection of eleven songs.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Beautiful October 10, 2008

By LP

Format:Audio CD

For those who may not be familiar with contemporary improvisational music, there is a label out of Munich, Germany run by Manfred Eicher called ECM. Since 1969, they have produced some of the most beautiful and in some cases, the most highly influential records the genre has to offer. The records are generally done in roughly 3 to 4 days, leaving little room for studio tampering. Eicher is tyrannically opposed to overdubbing and over-producing, allowing the music to retain a very spontaneous atmosphere, as well as a very organic one. The music in most cases, reflects a wider world influence infusing not only elements of modern North American jazz, but classical European harmony and world folk.

The new record from Grizzly Bear member Daniel Rossen and long time musical collaborator Fred Nicolaus reminds me of one of Eicher's records. It's sparse arrangements coupled with dense harmonies and often-shambolic rhythms, brings to mind early Ralph Towner records. The chord structures used here are certainly not the generic ones found on most pop records, as with Grizzly Bear's Yellow House, chords are often realized beyond their mere 3 note applications and extend into the upper regions of the chord's implied harmony (extended 7th's and 9th's). The vocals are recorded in such a way that separating them from the music is impossible. They almost function as an instrument, that's not to detract from the lyrical content, but instead, enhances the experience by placing you as a listener right there with them throughout the whole record.

Discussing the lyrical content of this record would probably be a disservice, mostly because it really does transcend words for the most part. Having said that, the album was dedicated to Rossen's late father and carries with it topic matter that may not have been suitable for a Grizzly Bear project.

Another great strength of this record (along with Yellow House) is the "repeated listen" factor. It is recorded in such a way that the subtlety of the music will not reveal itself upon first listen. There are myriad vocal effects, reverb, and instrumental textures that are layered in a such a way that warrant this music to be experienced alone with a set of hi-fi headphones.

This is record to explore, live with, and more than likely, will be used as a reference 20 years from now as to where independent "pop" music was at the time and who were it's innovators.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Haunted and Reflective Folk Masterpiece December 23, 2010

By J. Smith

Format:Audio CD

Memories are ghosts. We try to ignore their existence as we struggle blindly into the future. We have our grown-up hopes and ambitions, our schedules and attentions as maxed out as our credit cards until that moment when our memories are summoned up to haunt us again without warning. The incantations are quick and simple; a cup of coffee in a dark blue cup, the pealing dashboard or a dusty Oldsmobile, a child's voice singing to himself down a wooden hallway, and suddenly there is another presence in our minds. We are drawn back into our past as if in a dream. And it's in these woozy half formed memories that we find The Department of Eagles relaxing on their guitars and drums waiting to soundtrack our journey. Because memories are ghosts and the Department of Eagles are a band of ghosts. In Ear Park plays like the mysterious sonnet from a band chained to songs that relive a past full of joy, sincerity, love, honor and hope that they cannot help but see, hear, smell, taste, and always feel. But they paint into the landscape of the songs the same pain, uncertainty, insecurity and regret of people who, like any of us, can never again touch or change their past. They are cemented to it, chained to it, and this is their story.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Album Akin to Grizzly Bear August 26, 2009

By Ian A. Schultz

Format:Audio CD

While Grizzly Bear has been generating quite a stir, this album appears to have, for the most part, slipped right past the radar. At least, this was the case for me. I picked up this album recently and was impressed with the ability of these two artists to layer simple sounds to create a complex arrangement. I think that most of these songs are best in the context of the album as a whole, in other words the one thing this album doesn't really have is many "hit" songs . That is not to say it is completely void of them however. The track "No One Does It Like You" is particularly good with some catchy hooks. Neither is the lack of hits a bad thing. Albums like this one are best appreciated when you can sit down and devote 3/4 of an hour to listening to the whole thing.