Department of Eagles began in 2001, when Daniel Rossen and Fred Nicolaus we… Read Full Bio ↴Department of Eagles began in 2001, when Daniel Rossen and Fred Nicolaus were randomly assigned to live together by New York University. During their academically lax spring semester, they made an "album" of beat-type songs best described as "What DJ Shadow's retarded little brother would sound like." Nevertheless, a small record company in California heard the CDR and wanted to release a couple of 7" singles. Around that time, a friend's father, Jeff Saltzman, invited the group to record in his new studio. Fred and Dan used the opportunity to record the bulk of their debut album, which featured a blend of the beat-type stuff and more straightforward songwriting. It was released in 2003 and did fine, selling a modest number of copies and garnering some decent press.

In 2004, the group graduated from college and moved into an apartment in Brooklyn with an aggressive, hirsute landlord named Baki. Shortly thereafter, Daniel joined the group Grizzly Bear and began playing guitar and singing with them (he went on to write a goodly portion of their sophomore album, Yellow House). Fred tried to escape his boring magazine job by going on tour opening up for the band Subtle, but the tour was cancelled when Subtle's bus crashed, tragically injuring keyboardist Dax Pierson. DOE was on something of a hiatus. Then in 2005, a British label re-released their debut album in Europe under a different title, and the group began working on new material. This time around, the music featured little-to-no electronic embellishments and was inspired by Randy Newman, Van Dyke Parks, Paul Williams, and Paul McCartney. On October 7, 2008 they released their follow-up, In Ear Park, on 4AD.

Daniel plays guitar, bass, piano, drums, cello, and sings. He majored in Linguistics. His grandfather, Robert Rossen, directed the critically acclaimed movies All the Kings Men and The Hustler. Fred plays drums and various random instruments. He majored in Art History. His father, Martin Nicolaus, wrote the definitive translation of Karl Marx's Gundrisse.

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Department of Eagles went on to join Grizzly Bear with their recording of 2009 LP 'Veckatimist'

Waves of Rye
Department of Eagles Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ghastly protector
Save me from this waste
He's drifting asleep faster
Drowning the waves of rye

Spinnin' round the ballroom floor
Round and round the ballroom floor
Never seen but always saught after

After, after

Ghastly protector
Save me from this waste
He shakes me up like no other
Laughing in my face
He's mouthing off like a bastard
Drowning in those waves of rye

Spinnin' round the ballroom floor
Round and round the ballroom floor
Never seen but always saught after
After, after

Heaven is a ballroom
With high ceilings

Filled with white balloons
And smoke machines

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Department of Eagles's song "Waves of Rye" are obscure and enigmatic. The verses invoke a sense of desperation and pleading to a "ghastly protector," who is responsible for saving the singer from an impending danger – "this waste" or the "waves of rye." The repetition of the lines "He's drifting asleep faster / Drowning the waves of rye" is particularly poignant, as it suggests a loss of control and a sinking into a seductive and destructive force, represented by the "waves of rye." The singer is helpless and struggling to stay afloat, even as the protector seems to be amused by their predicament, "Laughing in my face."

The chorus of "Waves of Rye" complicates the narrative further, by introducing the idea of a ballroom, which is associated with contrasting imagery of heaven and longing. The ballroom is described as a space with "high ceilings," "white balloons," and "smoke machines," which conjures a surreal and dreamlike atmosphere. However, it is also depicted as a place where the singer is constantly "spinnin' round" and seeking for a connection that is "always saught after." The chorus reinforces the themes of repetition, yearning, and disillusionment, which are central to the song's lyrical content.

Line by Line Meaning

Ghastly protector
A protector who may be terrifying or intimidating

Save me from this waste
Rescue me from this emptiness or meaninglessness

He's drifting asleep faster
He's falling asleep quickly or easily

Drowning the waves of rye
Being overwhelmed by the effects of drinking rye, a type of alcohol

Spinnin' round the ballroom floor
Dancing energetically and joyfully in a ballroom setting

Round and round the ballroom floor
Continuing to dance in circles in the ballroom

Never seen but always saught after
Always desired, but elusive and difficult to attain

He shakes me up like no other
He affects me in a way no one else has

Laughing in my face
Mocking or taunting me

He's mouthing off like a bastard
He's speaking boldly and rudely

Drowning in those waves of rye
Being consumed by the effects of drinking rye, struggling to stay afloat