It’s tempting to file this under “see also: Grizzly Bear.” After all, Daniel Rossen, Department of Eagles’ primary songwriter and most-frequent vocalist vocalist is one of the two most prominent voices in Grizzly Bear, and Bear’s other vocalist, keyboardist/founder Ed Droste, is the only member of that group not to appear on this record. And for the most part, none of these songs would sound too out of place on a collection of Vickatimest B-sides (except Teenagers, probably). And it doesn’t help the case against this NOT being a Daniel Rossen solo project that Fred Nicklaus (the other member of Dept. of Eagles) receives only one unique credit on their Wikipedia page: aux percussion.

But Grizzly Bear lite/Daniel Rossen solo project or not, In Ear Park is a fine record, created as a tribute to Rossen’s father who passed away the year before and filled with tenderness (Herring Bone) and heaviness (Waves of Rye) alike. And with the Dept.’s tendency toward samples and sonic manipulation, it comes up with a few tricks not seen in Rossen’s main band’s bag of tricks (most notably, the manipulated or synthesized [I can’t tell] background vocals of Phantom Other). And while it may not be a landmark album the likes of which Grizzly Bear keeps making, it certainly stands up as a member of the Grizzly Bear affiliated canon. And that’s saying something.