New York duo Department of Eagles are sometimes, a little unfairly, thought of as simply being the "side project" of Grizzly Bear's Daniel Rossen. Featuring Rossen and his NYU roommate Fred Nicolaus, this collaboration actually prefigured the formation of the latter band, and In Ear Park is their second full-length release after their 2003 debut The Cold Nose.At its best points, of which there are a fair few, this album (and this band) produces a sound that is quite magical. Backing vocals and effects produce a sound close to that of an angel choir on opener ‘In Ear Park', a moving tribute to Rossen's deceased father. Lush shimmering choral sounds build to dramatic crescendos with a sense of wonder that reminded me, bizarrely, of the backing music found on some of the earlier Walt Disney cartoons (Sleeping Beauty, say) - see in particular ‘No One Does It', ‘Phantom Other' and ‘Waves of Rye'. Similarly, the gorgeous, full sounding "oohs" on ‘Floating on the Lehigh' lend the song a soaring quality a bit like a singularly rich croon-y 1950s show tune. The 1960s can also be heard (in a kind of Motown-esque way) in the intro to ‘No One Does It'. Add into the mix some echoes of 10cc's ‘I'm Not In Love', to be heard in ‘In Ear Park' and that overused reviewer's description - eclectic - would seem to be justified.For me, the album's highlight comes four tracks in with ‘Teenagers'. This is a terrific song, from its big dramatic harp intro, to the sense of drama imbued in the lyrics (sample "something's bubbling up inside my... head"), to the simple yet insidious nature of the melody and one-word chorus. Throw in a spot of mariachi brass, piano, synths, tambourine and more of that angelic backing (quite low in the mix here) and you've got a track that's as easy and delightful on the ear as anything I've heard this year. Other standouts include ‘No One Does It', and the elegiac, regretful ‘Herring Bone'.Things can become rather disjointed in places, and tracks like ‘Around The Bay', ‘Classical Records' and ‘Floating on the Lehigh' have a rather unstructured feel that can cause the listener's attention to drift somewhat. You can also make your way through this entire album several times without coming out the other end with a clear idea of lyrical themes and ideas. This ought not really to be directed at the band as a criticism, though, as their impressionistic way with words fits well with the music, and the music - unique, full of a lush beauty all of its own, cherishable - is surely very much the main "point" here. 83%Department of Eagles on MySpace