Saturday, September 6, 2008

The Department of Eagles


The Department of Eagles originally started in 2000 when New York University assigned freshmen Fred Nicolaus and Daniel Rossen to share a room. To pass the time during an uneventful spring semester, the two began making music together, collecting samples and turning them into songs using pirated software and a microphone borrowed from their neighbor Chris Taylor.

In 2004, Daniel joined Grizzly Bear where he ran into Chris Taylor once again. During that time, Daniel was obviously pretty busy handling vocals, guitars, and even songwriting for the group. His partner in crime Fred, on the other hand was working 9 to 5 but still found time to come up with ideas for DOE.

By the end of 2007, the sun and moon had aligned and the old duo began to work on their latest album, In Ear Park. 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.

It will be released this fall on 4AD.

Download: No One Does It Like You
Download: In Ear Park

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