Oh how everything comes full circle…our very FIRST EF Band of the Week Department of Eagles announced the exciting news yesterday that their sophomore full-length, In Ear Park, will come out on Beggars Banquet/4AD this October 7th. Do you see the synchronicity? The collusion of fellow EARS? No?
Well, can we at least claim dibs when we reported back in November that some sort of Grizzly Bear/DoE shenanigans was in store? Back then, Daniel told us: “”A record will will be done in the next few months I hope, and it may include those songs (”No One Does It”) if they fit in with the rest of it. We are working on all sorts of new material, a lot of it with Chris from Grizzly Bear[...]maybe after this next record is done, there will be a great big Grizzly Bear Dept of Eagles orgy and we’ll come up with some kind of a live band.”
As it turns out, the aforementioned orgy seemed to take place on the record, as both Chris Taylor and Chris Bear “contributed heavily” on the album (along with Nat Baldwin) to add a live dynamic that would complement the songwriting rapport Daniel and Fred had developed over their seven plus years of cohabitation as Department of Eagles. According to their MySpace page:
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.
And here’s the full tracklisting, courtesy of Pitchfork:
01 In Ear Park
02 No One Does It
03 Phantom Other
04 Teenagers
05 Around the Bay
06 Herring Bone
07 Classical Records
08 Waves of Rye
09 Interlude
10 Floating on the Lehigh
11 Balmy Night
Listen to the title track below and prepare to get pummeled by a wall of sonic beauty around the 2:40 mark. Feels like autumn is coming early….
Listen: “In Ear Park”
