Tiny desk make big sound (NPR)

December 16, 2014 2:02 PM

"Truth be told, you should really set aside a weekend and watch all 83 sets back-to-back. But until then, here's a cross-section of favorites, from pop to opera, hip-hop, jazz, rock, country and whatever genre is broad enough to contain the Sun Ra Arkestra." 2014: The Year In Tiny Desk Concerts (here's the full list ).
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome (30 comments total)

Wow. I just listened to Yusef/Cat Stevens and Suzanne Vega. 2 down and 81 to go. Thanks for posting.
posted by 724A at 2:28 PM on December 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

They have the audio downloadable on each page, but my first look couldn't find a way to get the whole audio downloaded. I've already listened to the Frank Turner one several times before I saw it here and listened to it another two times. I really need to force myself to go for a little more variety in my music listening.
posted by ambrosen at 2:30 PM on December 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

AAAH

TIMBER TIMBRE

THEY ARE SO CREEPY AND GOOD
posted by Kitteh at 2:33 PM on December 16, 2014 [4 favorites]

How is Pat Benatar still so good? She's so good.
posted by GuyZero at 2:42 PM on December 16, 2014 [2 favorites]

I highly recommend Valerie June, Shovels & Rope , Milk Carton Kids , The Holmes Brothers, (and, of course, Robert Cray Band)
posted by spock at 2:51 PM on December 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

How is Pat Benatar still so good? She's so good.


I somehow missed this particular concert when it happened and am so glad this post exists to have pointed it out to me.

(The answer to your questions though is "She's Pat Benatar, that's how.")
posted by MCMikeNamara at 3:01 PM on December 16, 2014

Yusuf still sounds fucking amazing. Seems unfair to the rest of us puny humans.
posted by grubi at 3:09 PM on December 16, 2014

I am somehow comforted and at peace knowing Bob Mould has a beard every bit as gray as mine.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:11 PM on December 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

After listening to a few of these, I think I get why they're so good. We can listen to the purest forms of these songs and artists.

It's like "Unplugged" for grown-ups.
posted by grubi at 3:23 PM on December 16, 2014

After listening to a few of these, I think I get why they're so good.

For some acts yeah, for others it's like.. ouch, take some ear training or voice lessons.
posted by ReeMonster at 3:26 PM on December 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

T-Pain was good! I had no idea.

Sturgill Simpson: "I don't think anybody has ever really nailed down what it's actually about. So my fault, for being too cryptic, I guess. It's actually all about drugs. And some other stuff. Mostly drugs." His set is great too. The man can pick.
posted by jeffamaphone at 3:27 PM on December 16, 2014 [3 favorites]

Kathleen Edwards is astounding.

After "Asking for Flowers," I now have the affliction of tearing up simply hearing her voice.

And Moon Hooch is awesome live.
posted by sutt at 3:31 PM on December 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

That T-Pain can actually sing was the craziest revelation of 2014.
posted by GuyZero at 3:38 PM on December 16, 2014 [2 favorites]

Seconding the love for Timber Timbre (link to their autoplaying video)

Kathleen Edwards is taking a break from music and is running a coffee shop near Ottawa. Hope she's back soon. (Oh -- according to her site, she is kinda back, playing local-ish gigs. Yay!)
posted by maudlin at 3:56 PM on December 16, 2014 [3 favorites]

If you haven't heard Angel Olsen yet, her Tiny Desk Concert from this year is a good place to start. I really can't get enough of Angel Olsen.
posted by pipeski at 4:17 PM on December 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

Pat Benatar, is should be noted, trained as an opera singer. She knows how to take care of her voice.
posted by Joey Michaels at 4:25 PM on December 16, 2014

"Trust" by Marcia and The Robert Glasper Experiment is the truth. Gaddamn!
posted by RedShrek at 4:28 PM on December 16, 2014

The irresistible Bobby Bare Jr. (previously) did one in late November they haven't put up yet. Until they do, my all-time favorite will probably remain Neko Case's 2013 Halloween set, featuring Neko in a gorilla suit and Kelly Hogan as a redneck zombie.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:55 PM on December 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

First heard of Moon Hooch here. I dig it.
posted by ctmf at 5:17 PM on December 16, 2014

We can listen to the purest forms of these songs and artists.

This ... I don't understand what you could possibly mean by this?
posted by kenko at 5:22 PM on December 16, 2014

That Moon Hooch is pretty damn awesome!
posted by Asbestos McPinto at 7:09 PM on December 16, 2014 [2 favorites]

This ... I don't understand what you could possibly mean by this?

So it turns out T-Pain can actually sing.

I enjoyed Gogol Bordello's Tiny Desk Concert. Desks do not contain them.
posted by Diablevert at 7:22 PM on December 16, 2014

OMFG. Moon Hooch! Archie Shepp meets Frank Zappa, thankyouverymuch.
posted by Floydd at 7:50 PM on December 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

Ooh, and of course San Fermin and Stars.

Oh, Stars. I heart you much, Torquil Campbell.
posted by Kitteh at 8:12 PM on December 16, 2014 [2 favorites]

cool stuff, crap site. ugh.

my friend recently posted about doing one of these. but that infinite scrolling page is basically impossible to search, and i can't seem to find any other way to search through it... so i never actually found her performance.

bang up job on the site, guys.
posted by emptythought at 4:05 AM on December 17, 2014

Eponysterical! The page isn't infinite. Hit your Page Down key until you hit the bottom. Then Ctrl-F and enter your search term. First World problem
posted by spock at 4:49 AM on December 17, 2014

NPR Music maintains a playlist on youtube of All 254 Tiny Desk Concerts.

Put it in a background tab and enjoy. For days.

edit to add: 254 might not be 'all', it's all the videos on youtube.
posted by DigDoug at 6:17 AM on December 17, 2014

I was blown away by the J Mascis set. I am always in awe of his phrasing and his unique falsetto.
posted by Benway at 6:39 AM on December 17, 2014

Sturgill Simpson . . . His set is great too. The man can pick.

It's bad parenting, but this is the one my wife and I have watched the most, dozens of times for one reason: whatever our now 13-month-old daughter is doing, no matter how wild or how upset, it will stop her in her tracks and she will walk up to the giant stupid baby gate we have around the TV like it's the front row, stick her hands over the top and just watch. Until a song ends at which point she claps along. We've never been able to properly capture it, but this is the best I can offer. At some point she's going to really understand language and then we're going to have to decide if a bit of quiet is worth explaining what DMT is to a toddler, but for now it works.

So thank you Sturgill Simpson, not just for my favorite album of the year but for the minutes of peace you've accidentally brought into our lives.
posted by yerfatma at 7:25 AM on December 17, 2014 [2 favorites]

So it turns out T-Pain can actually sing.

Which has what to do with purity? And what about all the other people? How were they "purer"?
posted by kenko at 8:40 AM on December 18, 2014