I have been listening to this self-titled cd from Eagle*Seagull for a few weeks now while trying to think of something significant to write about it.
Getting the basics out of the way, Eagle*Seagull is a sextet hailing from Lincoln, Nebraska who have been playing live for a little over a year. This is the band's first album.
Now to the sound. I suppose that people could refer to this as "melodic indie pop," which would mean absolutely nothing since pop music, by nature, is supposed to be melodic. If it isn't, then there is something definitely wrong. Others might refer to the songs as "hook-laden," which again is a moot point for reasons similar to the above. It could be music for the mature indie rocker, what is now referred to as the "yindie," which would do the band a horrible disservice, since "yindie" often implies boring. Then, one might compare this band to other bands that have a similar sound. Say, for example, Bright Eyes. After all, Eagle*Seagull does sing "let's get drunk and forget ourselves" ("Death Could Be at the Door") and doesn't Young Master Oberst sing about getting drunk and forgetting himself a lot? This, however, would also do the band a disservice, since its sound is both richer and more heartbreaking than anything this reviewer has heard on a Bright Eyes album. Eagle*Seagull has its moments of teary-eyed cheerfulness ("Photograph," my personal favorite) mixed with funeral party despair (Again, "Death Could Be at the Door") and perhaps that is the reason that I am still listening to this disc weeks after the fact.

Eagle*Seagull's self-titled debut is out now on Paper Garden Records.