TRACK 6: BALMY NIGHT

BALMY NIGHT by Department of Eagles.

Good songs come in all shapes and sizes. Some songs have sixteen parts and thirteen sections (think Sowing the Seeds of Love, Welcome To The Terrordome, uh, Tom Sawyer… whatever suits your taste). Balmy Night by Department of Eagles is a different animal.

I wouldn't be so presumptuous as to call it simple—I'm sure there are lots of things going on behind the scenes—but it sure seems like the only thing "Balmy Night" wants is a single moment of beauty.

Listen to the song, and in particular the spine-tingling climax beginning around the 1:20 mark. Here in one place the group has a good melody, a good sound, and a singer (Daniel Rossen, who's also a member of Grizzly Bear) with a lovely voice. What more do we want from a song than one gorgeous moment?

If you like this one, check out the group's website (and listen to Deadly Disclosure, which is a companion to this track).

LISTEN.

Photo: Batchelor Street, 2002.