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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
In Ear Park
EMAILPRINTby Department Of Eagles
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 16 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 9 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: 4AD
Release Date: 07 October 2008
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Rock, Indie, Electronic
Summary
The latest release from Grizzly Bear's Daniel Rossen and Fred Nicolaus was dedicated to Rossen's father who had passed away recently.
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Delusions of Adequacy
Through all of the musical intricacies and variances, Rossen and Nicolaus have truly created one of the best albums of the year.
Read Full Review >The Phoenix
In Ear Park improves on Grizzly Bear’s psychedelic folk æsthetic by both fleshing it out and making it more accessible.
Read Full Review >Lost At Sea
Without a heavy-handed disposition, Department of Eagles manages to convey the sentiment of another time while reaching a modern audience.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
Ambitious and complex, it's stuffed with cocooning harmonies and shimmering, sunlight-smacking-the-Pacific melodies--a languid, easy West Coast record (think Randy Newman or SMiLE), infused with classic East Coast anxiety.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club)
Ear Park provides a valuable service while showcasing Rossen as skilled composer and arranger in his own right.
Read Full Review >Observer Music Monthly
This second album (featuring Grizzly Bear's Chris Bear and Chris Taylor) is a sumptuous sequence of symphonic meditations on memory and loss that somehow manage to give a more expansive twist to the already elegiac mood of Arcade Fire's Funeral.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
This album is a big step forward for Department of Eagles, a playground of sound that celebrates the pull of memories and music.
Read Full Review >The Wire
It could all, of course, be unbearably mannered, but the duo's constant striving for layered perfection, contrasted with the very human qualities of the vocals, keep it grounded in some sort of feeling. [Sep 2008, p.61]
Under The Radar
What makes it outstanding is its strong songs, as well as Rossen and Nicolaus’ stunning attention to detail, marking Ear Park as a spot for extended and repeated visits. [Fall 2008, p.75]
Mojo
Fans of Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver and Mercury Rev's Deserter's Songs take note. [Nov 2008, p.19]
cokemachineglow
In Ear Park sounds so much like Grizzly Bear that it’s difficult to recognize, at first, that it does occasionally retain the bedroom DIY aesthetic for which Department of Eagles are known, especially in the sense of its canned percussion, and at the album’s best it keeps the music attempting the scope and lushness of Grizzly Bear.
Read Full Review >Slant Magazine
Songs begin lethargically and the vocals and instruments grope at each other, struggling to agree on how to establish the rhythm. Once they coalesce, each blooms, but the tracks refuse to linger in the thrall of the climax.
Read Full Review >Drowned In Sound
No one will begrudge him returning to his day job with Grizzly Bear, but anyone who hears In Ear Park will be hoping he takes another working holiday as soon as he gets the chance.
Read Full Review >Uncut
Rosen and Nicolaus stride forth as songsmiths of a much more assured vintage, harp, piano, brass and chocolatey harmonies coming together in vividly orchestrated numbers. [Nov 2008, p.94]
Q Magazine
Atmospheric and richly layered, their best moments tap the same ecstatic eclecticism of fellow travellers Sufjan Stevens and Beirut's Zach Condon. [Nov 2008, p.114]
Rolling Stone
Its mildly art-damaged sound is just right for indie kids who like their beauty a little messy.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.3 (out of 10) based on 9 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Mike F. gave it a10:
A beautiful, floating dream of an album.
Oliver C. gave it a9:
I give it an 85% With the exception of a few tracks, it is a masterful work. Really beautiful melodies and atmospherics, and it builds some wonderful moments without sacrificing the catchy hooks. Consider this a follow up to Yellow House and you can't be disappointed.
Miranda H. gave it a9:
So excited for Floating on the Lehigh...now I can live down Billy Joel's Allentown in peace.
