With ‘Sympathetic Magic’ Typhoon offer a beautiful and brooding soundtrack to the pandemic

Kyle Morton’s rock band Typhoon is famously large.

With roughly eight permanent members and a live lineup that’s been known to swell to well over a dozen, performing or simply even practicing has been nearly impossible during the pandemic.

“If we got all of Typhoon together, I think it would qualify as a super spreader event,” Morton quipped during this interview with OPB.

While it’s darkly funny, that joke is laced with a healthy dose of apprehension from the Portland-based songwriter.

As lockdowns were instituted last year, Morton began writing what would become the band’s fifth album, “Sympathetic Magic.” The subject matter came quickly, resulting in surprisingly topical lyrics that explore current events and familiar themes from recent months. But when it came to recording, the band faced challenges that forced them to embrace a more stripped down version of their trademark orchestral sound.