There wasn’t much to do for the boys of Animal Eyes in their native Alaska besides wait around for oil checks and 4:20 in the afternoon. More importantly though, they were looking for the simple chance to make some jams with friends. So with restless hearts and heads full of smoke, and the promise of great tunes and cheap rent, it makes sense that the crew would set its course on the warmer southern climate of Portland. Which is to say that while these guys certainly have a propensity for the psychadelic, these aren’t your average roaming hippies. Their latest release, Found in the Forest, is sharp, at times even mathy, and dynamic, with songs that can unexpectedly change direction into atypical rhythms and keys, but the group’s keen pop awareness always finds a way to curb each track back into something warm and mildly danceable. Reminiscent of Portland’s own Brainstorm or LA’s Local Natives, and in their more aggressive moment’s even Man Man, the band’s honest and unaided group vocals layer and circle into multi-part harmonies built over triumphant horns and a bouncing accordion for several moments of what can only be described as polka-rock. You read that right, and laugh if you wan’t, but I’d challenge almost any other band in town to step to this level with an accordion in their hands. Self-released, the disc is available for a mere 3 bones over on Bandcamp, but it’s the group’s live energy that is really where the magic lies. Be sure to catch them February 16th at SoHiTek Gallery with fellow locals, and one of our Best of ‘11 Open Submission winners, Eidolons.