Typhoon: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

The appropriately named Typhoon is a sprawling band with an epic sound. The group from Portland, Ore. crafts rock anthems like emotional tidal waves, propelled by the stories of frontman Kyle Morton. His deeply personal tales are often full of grief and loss. But just as often they celebrate and praise life's simple wonders. Morton himself is a very grateful (and lucky) man who writes songs as if he were living on borrowed time. That's because a random bug bite when he was a child left him with a monstrous case of Lyme disease that led to multiple organ failures. Morton's own father donated a kidney to save his son's life.

At 27, with a backing band of a dozen musicians, Morton and the rest of Typhoon are making some of the most poignant pop tunes around. We've been following this group for a few years now, but Typhoon has never done anything quite like what you can hear on its latest album, White Lighter. The songs are by far the best arranged and most compelling of the group's nearly 10-year run.

Somehow everyone in Typhoon not only managed to fit behind the Tiny Desk, but also managed to shine in this performance. If you're looking for music that touches your heart, that helps you appreciate the everyday, sit back and get ready for Typhoon to carry you away. --BOB BOILEN

Set List
"Young Fathers"
"The Lake"
"Dreams Of Cannibalism"

Credits
Producers: Bob Boilen, Denise DeBelius; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Denise DeBelius, Becky Harlan, Abbey Oldham