Cut of the Day: Animal Eyes, "Goat Chasing"

animal eyes

When I was roughly four years old, I experienced a reoccurring dream in which I'd find myself deep in a forest full of towering evergreen trees and low-lying fog. There'd be a clearing in the trees and there I would find a picnic and a boy to be my companion. It was very magical and alluring. I would find myself hoping beyond hoping that I would dream it again each night before I went to sleep.

I mention that memory because the song "Goat Chasing" by Portland's Animal Eyes takes me back there. It too is very magical and alluring, capable of luring you into its own dreamscape. If I were still a teenager, I can imagine spending hours and hours lying on my bedroom floor, forgoing my homework and just spacing out to this song. Letting the ebb and flow of the accordion wash over me like a wave. However, I'm about a decade past that age bracket. So instead I sip my wine and cola, and still let it take me away.


It's not only the accordion that lends itself to the spacey feeling, but the intricate electric guitar chords and throbbing bass in conjunction with the steady beat of the drum. Add to that mix the harmonizing "oohs" and "ahhhs" and you get a combination that was built for transporting the listener. Dare I say there's a parallel that can be drawn from here to "Where is My Mind" by the Pixies. The lyrics echo pied-piper sentiments—see the line "there's more of us"—seemingly there to whisper that you're never alone, especially if you come along.

Midway through the song comes the addition of strings as played by guest violinist Oceana Wills. In its final minute, the song reaches a crescendo that reminds me of the epic build of Weezer's "Only in Dreams." Except this song is devastating in its beauty rather than its heartbreak.

WWeek 2015

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