The problem with Department of Eagles debut album, The Cold Nose, is that if you come to it after hearing its follow up In Ear Park, as I did, it will have already have been rendered redundant. While it does have its moments, it doesn’t even hint at what was to follow on In Ear Park, Suitcase Orchestra’s album of the decade at the end of last year. The Department’s second album contained songs of almost suffocating ingenuity and staggering beauty. A Forever Changes for our time, it is surely an album which will grow and grow in reputation and influence.

So what of The Cold Nose? Well, such is the shadow cast over it by its successor that it remains an unloved and seldom listened to record, its only purpose being to cause you to wonder how the hell Fred Nicolaus and Daniel Rossen made the leap from the knock-about collection of ideas that formed the basis of their first outing to the majesty of their second. That’s where Archives 2003-2006 comes in. Unmistakably a Department of Eagles album, this collection of songs documents the seismic shift the pair made in their song writing.

A collection of full songs and practice room sketches, the listener can trace the confidence and assurance growing in the band. While the songs aren’t arranged and orchestrated as completely as on In Ear Park and are a little rough around the edges, you can hear the light bulb switching on inside the band’s mind. By the time we reach Golden Apple, the journey is complete and while these sessions were ultimately abandoned, they are vital to any fan of the Department as they clearly form the springboard for what was to follow and serve as a reminder of what we might be in store for the next time Rossen and Nicolaus emerge from a studio together.

Archive 2003 – 2006 is available now. Click here for more information.