In recent months, The Outer Space has hosted indie rock greats like Mission Of Burma, Built to Spill, and Pinback. By name recognition, Typhoon does not seem to be at the same level but the crowd that showed up on a Tuesday in Connecticut seemed to suggest otherwise.
The show was opened by Topshelf Records latest signees, Wild Ones. The Portland-based five piece is helmed by Danielle Sullivan who stage presence is comparable to the sprite from Ferngully. Her sweet vocals lilted perfectly over the band’s synth pop instrumentals.
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Although female-fronted as well, Lady Lamb the Beekeeper‘s style was completely different. Lady Lamb’s songwriting mixes elements of country, indie, and classic rock. The songs’ structure is often complex, containing movements rather than standard verse-chorus-verse setup. Considering her band was comprised of drums and bass, Lady Lamb’s guitar playing was dynamic switching between rhythm and lead seamlessly and sounds damn good doing it. As Lady Lamb explained, she had recently been holed up in Maine, writing a new record so her set was comprised of old favorites as well as a couple of new tracks. While generally bands who play unreleased tracks during relatively short sets is frowned upon, the complexity of that tracks made them entrancing to the audience. The only time Lady Lamb lost the audience was during some technical troubles with her electric banjo.
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The headliner of the night and the clear big draw was Typhoon. The 11-piece band boasts three drummers/percussionists, two violinists, a horn section, two guitars, and a bass player. To call it an embarrassment of riches seems like an understatement. While the multiple percussionists did not seem to make much sense, every other member seemed to play a pretty intricate part in the song’s arrangements: the violins would bounce between pizzicato and arco, the horns were not there to only accent but to also hold melody, and the whole circus is helmed by Kyle Morton. Morton’s voice is not overly strong; it is reminiscent of the softer side of Bright Eyes. It benefits from the arrangement and having a plethora of band members to chime in with backing vocals.
It is not overly surprising that Typhoon was such a big draw in Connecticut. Their Bright Eyes meets Colorado jam band style makes them perfect for frat boys and hipsters alike. The crowd danced and sang along like they were in the mud of some summer festival, a nice get away from the still fairly cold temperatures we’re getting this time of year.
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