By Ann Driscoll

The Ex-Girlfriends. Photo by Rachel Sumai

Associate Editor

As befitting the current synth-pop craze, keyboards in all its forms, dominated Storytellers 09. Of nine singing/songwriting talents chosen for the biannual showcase at David Friend Recital Hall, only three played guitar: Tubby Love, Brian Dunne, and The Ex-Girlfriends. Ramzy Suleiman opened the show with a bouncy crowd-pleasing piano number, which, to the chagrin of the Storytellers coordinators, was different than the tune he was selected to play. Eva Louhivuori, Merrily Scruggs-James and Maddy Zani all sang down-tempo piano ballads. Jaret Hewitt and Tubby Love both performed synth-heavy R&B pop. While Hewitt’s tune sounded like Justin Timberlake, Tubby created a mellow lounge-y vibe, harkening back to Innversions-era Stevie Wonder.

The Storytellers backup band had never sounded better. Drummer Jake Cohen and bassist Claire Finley held down the funky grooves, and co-organizer Alizon Lissance played her red Nord with relish. Three-time Storytellers veterans and folk-pop dirty-joke purveyors The Ex-Girlfriends pushed the boundaries of taste even further with a ditty about vibrators, which created a real buzz with the audience (ba dum ching!). Springsteen fanatic Brian Dunne closed the show with his organ-heavy “Jane,” which sounded like a cross between the Gin Blossoms and something you’d hear on classic rock radio.

The standout act was Laura Hoover, who accompanied herself on the accordion and brought in a trumpet player for a circusy waltz entitled “The Most Beautiful Fear.” Echoes of Sufjan Stevens, musical theater, and Beirut could be heard in Hoover’s songwriting and arranging, and for once during the show, it seemed like tuneful indie music might be alive and well at Berklee.