In the blind taste test of music, Typhoon proves difficult to classify into one category. With hints of Beirut, Damien Rice, Feist, the Builders and the Butchers, even a whisper of Sufjan Stevens at times, this band is a smorgasbord of influences and sounds.
With seven core members, but seventeen total band members and contributors, these Portland natives have produced an impressive range of eclectic, inventive sounds without the end result being chaotic. With haunting melodies and layered cadences, this is the type of album capable of commanding both the attention and mood of anyone within earshot. Tracks like "Starting Over" and "Belly Of The Cave" stand out amongst the others as the songs I kept hitting “repeat” on, but it’s clear that Typhoon’s new album Hunger And Thirst is meant to be listened to from beginning to end.
Although there exists today a bevy of musical groups who certainly possess talent, Typhoon comes across as having a unique voice and point of view. Hunger And Thirst is a warm and soulful album, with interesting textures and depth. And while it’s nothing epic or life-changing, Typhoon has produced an album rife with emotion, haunting at times, joyful and upbeat at others.
Hunger And Thirst will be released on May 4th, but if you preorder through Tender Loving Empire before May 3rd, they’ll kick down a copy of the two disc Friends and Friends of Friends album.
- Arielle Mullen
