Sacrificial Violence: A Review of Typhoon’s Offerings

I’m handing the Backline keys over to my extremely good friend Mark Forrester because Typhoon’s new album Offerings is just. that. incredible.

By that I mean it’s so good that it’s going to take someone with a much larger brain than mine to give it even half the review it deserves. I don’t say this lightly… you cannot afford to miss a single sentence of this. Forrester positively nails it, and I’m beyond honored to have him on as a guest writer. Let’s give him a warm, Backlinear welcome.

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“Listen, of all the things that you’re about to lose, this will be the most painful.”

This caveat is how Kyle Morton, frontman of Portland-based indie-rock band Typhoon, intones the group’s latest album, Offerings, and these words are as carefully chosen as they are chilling. The album begins with a warning of what’s to follow: something painful, something prodigious. Whatever it is, it’s what will destroy you, but you may find that it’s also what will save you.

This album is nothing short of impressively and beautifully complex, and no single review could possibly exhaust its depths satisfactorily. If you’re looking for a thorough exposition, prepare to be disappointed, but hopefully what little we’ll highlight can help you appreciate this masterful work, especially if Offerings is the first Typhoon album you’ve heard.

Opus Orange – Anatomic (Review)

My first brush with Opus Orange was their 2015 release, Outside In; an expertly crafted EP recorded at an altitude higher than that of the airplane that’s currently shipping me to Atlanta (yes, really). Each track on that EP was recorded with equipment powered only by our sun (yes, really). I was happily on the ropes before I even started listening to the music that would eventually knock me out.

Langhorne Slim & the Law – The Spirit Moves

I’ll speak for myself: Langhorne Slim brought about possibly the most immediate “HELL. YES.” of 2015 with his new record The Spirit Moves.

Langhorne Slim & the Law –  The Spirit Moves on Dualtone Music Group (iTunes | AmazonMP3 |Google Play)

The Spirit Moves is a record with two faces. The first is worn by a man in a crowd who used to have a hat, but has since lost it in a stampede of party-goin’ moment-sharers. The hat has grown old quickly and looks nothing like it did before. Instead of a price tag, it now wears a mixture of dirt, sweat, and whiskey. This is no concern of the party-goer or his comrades, for The Spirit Moves them and for the first time in their lives, they feel their souls move with it. They are alive.

The second face is worn by the same man who, hours later, has found his old hat again. With his similarly war-torn friend back on his head, he sits on a summer porch with his comrades, sharing pieces of his soul that he can finally grab onto. They let the insects fill honest moments of self-reflection. For the first time in their lives, they allow the spirit to move them forward. They are at peace.

Discovery: Greg Laswell

I’m pretty sure I discovered this guy from an episode of Criminal Minds or something. Wait, no… no, I discovered this guy while visiting my nursing friend who was watching an episode of what I am now 99.9% sure was actually Grey’s Anatomy.

Bully – Feels Like

Bully released their debut album Feels Like today on Columbia Records!

Bully – Feels Like on Columbia Records (iTunes | AmazonMP3 | Google Play)

This Nashville rock-punk group was featured as a Discovery last month and earned the Video of the Week in that week’s recap for their I Remember music video.