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.
The Myth of Youth
Geographer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I saw your eyes reaching toward it
The one you never thought you'd get
Now i'm a picture in your wallet
Everything was simpler then
Nothing gained no one losing
We held the future in our hands
Tell me i'm a little bit
Like i was when i met you
It didn't end the way that we wanted it
Now we're just breath in a statue
I am here to love you
But i don't know if i can
What if all i ever will become
Is nothing but a man
I am here to love you
But i don't know what that means
I just want to feel how i feel
Not wonder if it's real
I want you to be real
I knew what i wanted then
I was living for the summer
Soon we would be growing up
And we could finally have each other
Now that i am looking back
All i needed was to wonder
But we let ourselves forget to forget
And so we ended in an answer
I am here to love you
But i don't know who i am
If only i could just forget to ask
Take me to my younger years
Running round the woods
With all my useless dreams
No one could tell me what was real
When you're young you can forget
Anything at all
And you wear it like a mirror
The Geographer's song The Myth of Youth speaks about the complexities of love and the difficulty of maintaining it. The lyrics tell the story of a relationship that started off well, with the singer being what the other person wanted. They held the future in their hands and everything was simpler then. However, they realize that things cannot always remain the way they were and that they need to grow up. The relationship ends and they become nothing more than a picture in the other’s wallet.
The singer is here to love the other person, but they do not know if they can. They wonder what they will become and if that is all they will ever be- just a man. They do not know what it means to love someone, they just want to feel how they feel and not wonder if it is real. They are still searching for answers and are unsure of who they are.
The lyrics also speak about reminiscing about the past, wanting to go back to the time when they were young and carefree. They remember running around in the woods with all their useless dreams and how no one could tell them what was real. They could forget anything at all back then and wear it like a mirror.
Line by Line Meaning
I was what you wanted
You desired me, and I fulfilled that longing
I saw your eyes reaching toward it
I recognized how much you wanted me too
The one you never thought you'd get
I was a desire you deemed unattainable
Now i'm a picture in your wallet
Now I am just a static reminder of a distant past
Everything was simpler then
Back then, life was less complicated
Nothing gained no one losing
We exerted no effort nor did we risk anything, and thus, no one had anything to gain nor lose
We held the future in our hands
At that point in time, we had control over our future
Now we've got nothing but the present
Now we only have the present and the memories of the past
Tell me i'm a little bit
Remind me that I still have some traits that reminded you of me
Like i was when i met you
When you first met me, I had specific attributes that charmed you
It didn't end the way that we wanted it
The conclusion of our relationship was not what we expected it to be
Now we're just breath in a statue
We are just frozen memories of our past selves
I am here to love you
I am present at this moment to love you
But i don't know if i can
But I am unsure if I am still capable of the love you once knew
What if all i ever will become
What if my being will never extend beyond
Is nothing but a man
Me being nothing but a mortal male
I am here to love you
I am present at this moment to love you
But i don't know what that means
But I am unaware of what that love entails
I just want to feel how i feel
I merely desire to experience what feelings I'm experiencing
Not wonder if it's real
Not have doubts about the authenticity of these emotions
I want you to be real
I yearn for you to exist in my life once more
I knew what i wanted then
I had a certain desire then
I was living for the summer
I was eagerly anticipating the arrival of summertime
Soon we would be growing up
We were at a time where we were maturing
And we could finally have each other
And at that time, we could have one another
Now that i am looking back
Now that I am reflecting on the past
All i needed was to wonder
All I needed to do was to question
But we let ourselves forget to forget
But we failed to remember to let go and move on
And so we ended in an answer
And as a result, we concluded our relationship in a specific manner
Take me to my younger years
Let me be transported to my past youth
Running round the woods
Playfully dashing around the forest
With all my useless dreams
With nothing but fruitless, unattainable aspirations
No one could tell me what was real
No one was able to inform me of what was objectively true
When you're young you can forget
In youth, it's easy to ignore and overlook things
Anything at all
Any matter, big or small
And you wear it like a mirror
And you carry that existence around like a reflection of yourself
Contributed by Blake H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sarah Szulborski
wow, his voice is so perfect!
Nikko Tan
i love geographer so much
Cole444Train
Yo Audiotree. You guys should check out So Long Forgotten. They are right there in Chicago, and I LOVE em. just a suggestion. I am not affiliated with the band in any way, they are just one of my fav's and i think that session would be great.
seldomareelephants
Dope as fuck. Where tf is Brian though?
Markanthony M
what happened to the other drummer..
jparkolonie
its still brian i think.. he just has a touque on