Musically Amusing

Portland, Oregon’s Typhoon - one of the most talked about new bands – is proud to announce the August 20th release of their new album White Lighter on MapleMusic Recordings and Roll Call Records.

White Lighter is the follow up to the bands acclaimed EP A New Kind Of House that caught the attention of countless music critics and listeners for what NPR’s Bob Boilen calls “absolutely stunning” and “so beautiful, it make’s me want to follow every single thing Typhoon does.”

Recorded at Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Oregon, Typhoon isolated themselves from outside distractions to arrange and record this collection of songs with an impressive emphasis on storytelling and melody.

“On the farm, we were living inside the record” says songwriter Morton. “I had one place in the woods where I would write and rewrite one song, and a different place for working another. The whole thing was laid out spatially over so many acres. I built a small fort in the wood barn where I kept my books and guitar.  Slept a couple feet away from the recording desk.  When it was cold, we built wood fires, when it was warm we went swimming down the road.  Friends came and went, sometimes recording with us.”

Produced by the band along with their in-house engineer Paul Laxer, Typhoon created a dynamic recording – full of horns, strings and group vocal crescendos – that will establish the band as an immensely creative force.

An inspiring hybrid of literate lyrics and wide ranging pop music – new songs such as first single “Young Fathers,” “Possible Deaths,” “Prosthetic Love” and “Hunger And Thirst” – take listeners on a journey through the experience of having it all, fighting to keep the dream and accepting your fate.

“There are several layers to this new record” says Morton. ”It’s definitely the most autobiographical record I’ve ever done. I’m also trying to reconstitute disparate experiences into something like a meaningful sequence in the pale light of truth.”

Along with Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Alternative Press and more, Paste Magazine raves “Music critics throw around adjectives like ‘orchestral’ and ‘expansive’ all the time these days. But here’s a band that actually deserves such labels. Portland’s Typhoon is an indie rock geek’s dream: a dynamic 12-piece with a seemingly unending reservoir of energy, emotive vocals, arpeggiated guitars, horns, multiple drum kits and strings … Ladies and gentlemen, meet your new critical darlings.”

Typhoon spent most of 2011 on the road – sharing the stage with The Decemberists, The Shins and Explosions In The Sky and performing at festivals such as Lollapalooza, Osheaga and the Newport Folk Festival – winning over concertgoers with what KEXP calls an “awe inspiring” live show.

Already confirmed for this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival, Typhoon will set out on a US headlining tour this fall. Stay tuned for more news!

Songwriter Kyle Morton caught up with The Wall Street Journal to talk about the new record, to have a read – click HERE.

Listen/download: Typhoon – “Dreams of Cannibalism”

Related articles

• Typhoon Announce Anticipated New Album White Lighter Set for an August 20th Release (hangout.altsounds.com)