Quick, Before It Melts.

It's getting harder and harder to keep track of who is from what band and which solo/alternate project are they working on now. Department of Eagles often gets tagged as a Grizzly Bear side project, which isn't true; Daniel Rossen started Department Of Eagles well before he joined the Grizzly Boys in and around 2003. Department Of Eagles is Rossen and his roommate Fred Nicolaus, who've been making music together since 2001. They never really intended for the music to go beyond their circle of friends, but good music is hard to keep to yourself.

There's a lot of similarity and familiarity to Grizzly Bear's magnificent Yellow House album and Department Of Eagles's new full-length, In Ear Park. That's understandable, since a good number of Rossen's Grizzly Friends ended up playing on the album. Some media outlets have spun this into a story suggesting that this new DoE album is signalling the end of Grizzly Bear, but Rossen dispelled those rumours with a recent post to the Grizzly Bear blog.

In Ear Park is one of those amazing little jewels that can easily get lost in the crush of other, more high profile releases. They've been garnering a fair bit of attention mind you, with a spot on Conan O'Brien the other week and some rave reviews in the press. But don't let that sway you; experience DoE for yourself and see hear what the fuss is all about.

MP3: Department of Eagles "No One Does It Like You"
MP3: Department of Eagles "In Ear Park"
Myspace: Department of Eagles