With the additions of cellist Nathan Blaz and drummer Brian Ostreicher, Geographer spent the next year cutting their teeth in the Bay Area, winning over crowds with the heart-pounding epics that make up their debut record, ‘Innocent Ghosts’.
After being selected one of three ‘Undiscovered Bands You Need To Hear Now’ by SPIN Magazine and garnering considerable word-of-mouth praise from their energetic live shows, the band signed to San Francisco-based label Tricycle Records, releasing a 7” single for the song ‘Kites’ in October 2009.
‘Animal Shapes’ follows up ‘Kites’, building on the synth-driven aesthetic of the single, while flirting with darker, more esoteric underpinnings. The record merges Geographer’s aptitude for crafting beautiful, haunting melodies with textural sounds and poly-rhythmic energy, marking an evolution of their distinct style.
With the overwhelming response to the release of ‘Kites’ and ‘Animal Shapes’, punctuated by a dynamic and engaging live set, the band has already begun to make an indelible mark on the ears of music fans worldwide.
Night Winds
Geographer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
will find me in the night
like the sound of sad dogs
wishing they could cry
it's something only we know
underneath street lights
shadows make things easy
so i made you mine
if you were fast asleep
and all the bottles you throw
they would be lost at sea
and you could take my letters
and rearrange the words
you could read them backwards
until you liked what you heard
if i could know what they know
then we could sell this gold
and i could wear your halo
when the nights grow cold
and you could wish my child's eyes
would turn to clouds and part
and i could wish that i lied
when i said i lost your heart
so long the days
that melt away
so loud the words
you could not say
if only last december
had stayed beneath the snow
i hear your muffled laughter
after the curtains close
you the sound of night winds
in the dark you grope
trying to find some likeness
under my wrinkled clothes
so long the days
that melt away
so loud the words
you could not say
The lyrics of Geographer's "Night Winds" express themes of loss, longing, and yearning for a deeper connection with someone who is gone. The first stanza sets the scene for the rest of the song, with the singer feeling lost and wishing for a way to reconnect with someone who has left them. The photograph and whisper represent memories that stay with the singer, haunting them in the night. The "sad dogs" represent the singer's own longing, as they wish they could cry and let their emotions out.
In the second stanza, the singer discusses how easy things would be if the other person were asleep and unaware of the pain and longing that the singer is experiencing. The idea of rearranging letters and reading them backwards suggests that the singer is looking for a way to change the past and make things right. The lines about selling gold and wearing a halo show that the singer sees the other person as someone special and divine, and they are willing to do anything to get them back.
The final stanza brings the song to a close with more imagery of loss and longing. The days melting away and the words left unsaid show that time has passed and the singer still feels the pain of separation. The mention of laughing after the curtains close and groping in the dark underline the sense of confusion and uncertainty that the singer feels, as they try to find a way to reconnect with the person they have lost.
Line by Line Meaning
a photograph and a whisper
Memories and murmurs are the only things that seem to accompany me anymore
will find me in the night
I'm always searching for something, always restless
like the sound of sad dogs
Loneliness often manifests as a howling ache deep within oneself
wishing they could cry
That ache is a sadness so pure and intense that it's almost unbearable
it's something only we know
The pain is isolating, but also singularly personal
underneath street lights
In the city, where the lights are bright and the night is alive
shadows make things easy
Shadows obscure truths and create a sense of detachment
so i made you mine
In the midst of all that, I found you
this would be so simple
Things could be so straightforward
if you were fast asleep
Sleep is a respite from the pain and complexity of life
and all the bottles you throw
But you're still here, still hurting, still breaking things
they would be lost at sea
In the grand scheme of things, the things we toss aside are insignificant
and you could take my letters
Our correspondence reflects our innermost thoughts and feelings
and rearrange the words
We can try to reframe our experiences, to find some new meaning or hope
you could read them backwards
We can look at things from a different perspective
until you liked what you heard
We can find comfort and solace where we can
if i could know what they know
If I could understand the world and its workings better
then we could sell this gold
We could capitalize on our knowledge, on the things we've been through
and i could wear your halo
Maybe we could even be elevated, lifted up
when the nights grow cold
When the world is dark and frigid
and you could wish my child's eyes
You could wish to see the world anew, to experience the magic and wonder of innocence
would turn to clouds and part
To have the ability to escape, to drift away into the ether
and i could wish that i lied
To be able to deceive oneself, to believe in anything, even if it's not true
when i said i lost your heart
To be free from that weight, that burden of heartache and denial
so long the days
The passage of time is never quite as swift or linear as we'd like
that melt away
The days blend together, fading into one another
so loud the words
Yet, the echoes of our past and present reverberate endlessly
you could not say
There are things that we can't, or won't, voice aloud
if only last december
Nostalgia, regret, and longing are common bedfellows
had stayed beneath the snow
If only we could keep our ghosts hidden, our sorrows and disappointments wrapped up tight and secret
i hear your muffled laughter
But still, the echoes persist
after the curtains close
After the performance has ended, after the facade has crumbled
you the sound of night winds
And you, familiar and ephemeral like the night's breeze
in the dark you grope
Lost, searching for something to cling to
trying to find some likeness
Trying to find something that bridges us, that connects us
under my wrinkled clothes
Looking for something real, something genuine
Contributed by Isaiah T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.