Review / Photos: Typhoon @ Metro 4/3/14

Words / Photos: Alex Wood

With the excellent 2013 release White Lighter, Typhoon perfected their indie sound with well-written tracks and clean production. However, listeners of the studio album wouldn’t guess it was an eleven-piece band making the music.

For their performance at The Metro, there was no doubt.

Two drummers and a percussionist played atop one another while two violinists typically contributed identical parts. Two trumpets also performed the violin parts, sometimes backed by an additional mellophone.

What sounds like three people on record, a drummer, violinists and trumpet player, was stretched out to seven or eight performers in the live setting, in addition to the keyboards, guitars and bass.

The result was a big sound, but a muddy one.

Drums battled with the guitars and keyboards while the horns and violins could hardly be recognized individually. The multiple keyboards and guitars played identical chord progressions, creating a cluttered, though admittedly energetic, backbone. The vocals were often lost in the mix and sometimes blew out entirely, the microphone obviously turned up to full volume in an attempt to push the singer’s reserved voice to the forefront.

Fans sang along with “Dreams Of Cannibalism,” its catchy chorus holding the song together. Older track “CPR/ Claws Pt. 2” used the drummers and guitarists wisely with complex rhythmic interplay, the violins keeping time on the off-beats.

“Hunger And Thirst” was a highlight of the show, the song’s structure consisting of distinct sections, members slowly adding to its build before dropping out again. Female vocals trade off with the lead singer’s leading to a loud, swelling climax.

The band played fourteen songs in total, often linking one into another, for a set lasting just over an hour.

Lady Lamb The Beekeeper and Wild Ones opened the show, providing a helpful variety to the evening of music.