Department of Eagles find their people in Brooklyn

October 6, 2008, at the Bell House

By Eleanor Whitney
Published: October 9th, 2008 | 11:55am

To open their first full-band show at the Bell House, a new venue in Gowanus, Brooklyn, Department of Eagles’ singer-guitarist Daniel Rossen had an announcement to make: “I haven’t been here before, nor have we ever done a show. I can’t make any promises.”

With that, the band confidently attacked the first song of its set, “Waves of Rye,” featured on its recently released record In Ear Park (4AD). The band members — three of whom come from Brooklyn indie outfit Grizzly Bear — seemed at home in the barn-meets-dance-hall space of the Bell House as they crooned “Heaven is a ballroom,” during the song’s fuzzed out, layered chorus. With the swirling layers of guitars, organ, and drums, the song almost sounded like it was going to take flight, but was thankfully anchored by Mainer Nat Baldwin’s solid, deep bass lines. The dark wood stage and heavy red curtains draped behind it added to the country-meets-psychedelic ambiance. They followed up with “Phantom Other,” featuring Rossen strumming dreamily on his trebly guitar while Fred Nicolaus played a sampler sending out blasts of choral music.

The band members played hard on the songs, like they believed in them. The audience responded enthusiastically, sharing their belief in the band. Between songs, while the band often lapsed into silence, a reverent hush came over the sold-out venue. Finally, Rossen commented, “Do you guys like the awkward silence at the show? I’m impressed!” “These are our people,” Nicolaus agreed with a deadpan delivery.

In the midst of the set, Rossen made another announcement. “We’re going to try something weird and it might work if you are really quiet… Like I am trying to do some magic trick.” With that the rest of the band left the stage and Rossen grabbed a banjo. “I’m supposed to explain the concept,” he quipped, stating that he got teased in Grizzly Bear for his love of roots music, which had earned the catchall title of “Jimmy-John.” “Yep, I’m about to do the most Jimmy-John thing I’ve ever done in my life,” he said as began picking a tune out of the banjo. The lone banjo stripped his songwriting down to bare emotion and it sounded more like the skeleton of a melody then the roots music he referenced. As he gently finished, concertgoers cheered harder then ever as Rossen eased the banjo back on its stand.

Toward the end of the set, the band played “Nobody Does it Like You,” perhaps the catchiest track from In Ear Park, which featured strong backing vocals and a jangly, 1960s-popesque groove. Afterward, they returned to the introspection remarking, “That’s kind of a pop song. That’s kind of the only one, it’s weird,” before starting the album’s title track, a lonely, plaintive song that sounded warmer live than on record.

Rossen seemed to want the set to end quietly and let the built-up energy quietly dissipate. The rest of the band made a nonchalant exit while he played two songs solo, the last of which he described as a “random new song that’s not finished.” After treating the audience to more of his sweet guitar strumming and singing he made a final announcement, “All right, thank you, I think we’re done.”