Department of Eagles might not offer respite from the menagerie of animal-named hipster bands, but for a group headed up by Grizzly Bear's Daniel Rossen, perhaps that's too much to ask. On In Ear Park, out tomorrow, Rossen and his bandmate Fred Nicolaus sound like distant relations of Grizzly Bear. The folksy strains of the latter band are echoed here, but where Bear is diffuse and expansive, Eagles strikes a more intimate note. Pet Sounds, Graceland, and baroque popsters like Van Dyke Parks are the touch-points—creating a warm (but tentative) record for timorous times. The Beach Boys looked upwards in their uncertainty—most famously, God only knew what they'd do without you—but for Department of Eagles, the gaze is pointed firmly down to their shoes. Check out the title track, below.
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