Typhoon releases fourth studio album

February 6, 2018

ALLAN COLLINS
staff writer

Who in the world is Typhoon, you ask? Well, they are an 11-piece indie-rock band from Salem, Ore., that has been around for just over 13 years.
Seeing as “Offerings” is the first of their albums I’ve heard, I was curious to look back into their discography to get a better idea of the group.
“Offerings” is Typhoon’s fourth studio album and the band has a lot of work to do, to keep up with its highly regarded first three records. I would have to say they definitely deserve all the credit they get.
They might have a small following, but the music they produce is something more than just indie rock.
With the intro track, “Wake,” you are introduced to an eerie yet tranquil instrumental and a very soothing, almost hushed singing voice that will carry you through a long journey.
Each song feels like a ballad from a singer-songwriter, yet there are many different instruments that come in throughout the record that makes you think it can’t just be one person doing all the work.
Well looking deeper into the group, they have even more members than just 11.
They have multiple guitar players, drummers, bass players, etc. in the band.
So, you can imagine, they aren’t afraid to spice things up in their music.
This is exactly what makes this record unique from the rest of their influences like Fleet Foxes, The Decemberists and British Sea Power.
Each song feels so different from the last in the way it’s played.
Each song has a uniform feel, but the human difference in the drummers, guitar players, bass players, etc. make each track that much different.
Each member brings in his or her own unique set of influences, that are different from the other one and it just makes for a very interesting feel.
Each track is separate, but it’s impossible to just pick one song and listen to it.
The record needs to be enjoyed in full, during a long car ride or a long walk through the woods.
You need to be alone, but in a place that brings peace to your mind.
But that’s the thing: for being such a minimal record in sound, there are so many colors bleeding through the record — from the shinning and glittery, to somber and moody to minimal and bare.
So many things are going on within this record, yet there is so little going on.
When it comes to the production, there are so many different styles that you would think each song was produced by a different person.
Some songs sound clean and like each instrument was recorded individually, while in other songs it sounds like it was recorded in a bedroom with a lot of echo.
However, all the tracks sound just right for what they need to be.
For the more echo feeling songs, they are made up mostly just acoustic guitars and Kyle Morton’s voice, the lead singer for Typhoon.
The production gives these songs a much more intimate feeling while in other songs the cleaner production adds good texture and diversity to the tracks.
But, one uniform theme throughout the tracks is Morton’s voice.
His raspy and low-key voice is the exact same from track to track, which gives the album a good sense of flow.
That’s the key to this being a great record — the sense of flow and control from so many different elements being added to the record.
Overall, it’s a long but satisfactory journey that needs to be heard by all.
Don’t let this record pass you by this year because I can already tell this will be one of my favorite records of 2018.
Happy Listening, Gannon University!