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NPR Tiny Desk Concerts Season 5

January. 05,2012

8.8

NPR Tiny Desk Concerts

Intimate musical performances, recorded live at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen.

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NPR Tiny Desk Concerts

2008 / NR

Intimate musical performances, recorded live at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen.

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NPR Tiny Desk Concerts Season 5 Full Episode Guide

Episode 77 - Miguel

First Aired: December. 31,2012

Performing at the NPR Music offices, Miguel strips his highly produced hits down to their bones.

Episode 76 - The Polyphonic Spree

First Aired: December. 21,2012

The sprawling group, 17 strong, squeezes behind Bob Boilen's desk for a special holiday performance.

Episode 75 - Alt-J

First Aired: December. 17,2012

The Mercury Prize-winning band plays angular, poetic, inventive music that takes unexpected turns.

Episode 74 - Lyle Lovett

First Aired: December. 10,2012

Lovett gives a loose, engaging performance that feels like both an introduction and a victory lap.

Episode 73 - Daniel Bachman

First Aired: December. 09,2012

Once the acoustic guitarist zeroes in on the center of a song, it's easy to get lost in it yourself.

Episode 72 - Anaïs Mitchell

First Aired: December. 06,2012

The singer-songwriter performs three of Young Man in America's most bracingly beautiful songs.

Episode 71 - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

First Aired: December. 03,2012

The Seattle duo literally shakes the dust off the ceiling tiles at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 70 - Taken By Trees

First Aired: November. 29,2012

Victoria Bergsman's songs seem to come from a place somewhere between a dream state and waking life.

Episode 69 - Martha Wainwright

First Aired: November. 26,2012

Wainwright roughs up life's smooth spots, then digs her fingertips into the cracks that form.

Episode 68 - Ben Gibbard

First Aired: November. 19,2012

For Tiny Desk Concert No. 250, the Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service singer performs solo.

Episode 67 - Flaco Jimenez

First Aired: November. 12,2012

The conjunto icon spins magic, and stays true to tradition, with his trademark button accordion.

Episode 66 - Jason Lytle

First Aired: November. 05,2012

The longtime frontman for Grandaddy goes it alone with acoustic solo songs from his latest record.

Episode 65 - Passion Pit

First Aired: October. 29,2012

Michael Angelakos makes electro-pop with monster hooks. But his songs are sturdy, versatile things.

Episode 64 - Lord Huron

First Aired: October. 25,2012

The band's rich harmonies are welcoming, its lyrics relatable and its live performances thrilling.

Episode 63 - Robert Cray Band

First Aired: October. 22,2012

Like any great blues singer, Cray makes heartache and dysfunction sound engaging and relatable.

Episode 62 - Dirty Three

First Aired: October. 15,2012

The band unleashes a gorgeous flurry of shambolic rumbling, prolific hairiness and dramatic yelling.

Episode 61 - Spirit Family Reunion

First Aired: October. 08,2012

The group plays fiddle, banjo, guitar and washboard, all gathered around a single microphone.

Episode 60 - Antibalas

First Aired: October. 04,2012

It's one thing for 11 musicians to make a big sound, but what stands out is Antibalas' subtlety.

Episode 59 - Kat Edmonson

First Aired: October. 01,2012

Hearing the 29-year-old singer makes it virtually impossible to do anything but stop and listen.

Episode 58 - Yva Las Vegass

First Aired: September. 24,2012

Watch Las Vegass bring a punk aesthetic to Venezuelan folk music with a cuatro at the NPR offices.

Episode 57 - Amanda Palmer And The Grand Theft Orchestra

First Aired: September. 17,2012

These songs' fervor is the product of a singer armed with intensity and musicians who can match it.

Episode 56 - Avi Avital

First Aired: September. 10,2012

Avital's mandolin sings with the sounds of Ernest Bloch and a raucous Bulgarian folk tune.

Episode 55 - Renaud Garcia-Fons

First Aired: August. 27,2012

Watch the renowned double bassist thump, strum and loop his way through three mesmerizing songs.

Episode 54 - Rufus Wainwright

First Aired: August. 20,2012

By the middle of Wainwright's final song, "Montauk," few dry eyes remained in the NPR offices.

Episode 53 - The Zombies

First Aired: August. 12,2012

Two surviving members of the band still have the same chemistry here in a stripped-down performance.

Episode 52 - Beth Orton

First Aired: August. 06,2012

Known for mixing folk and electronics, Orton unveils three new songs with just an acoustic guitar.

Episode 51 - The Walkmen

First Aired: July. 29,2012

The band makes the Tiny Desk accommodate its booming sound rather than the other way around.

Episode 50 - Janet Feder

First Aired: July. 22,2012

Feder marries classical and folk techniques with otherworldly guitar textures and sounds.

Episode 49 - The Milk Carton Kids

First Aired: July. 16,2012

Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale sing sweet but intricate folk-pop songs in the NPR offices.

Episode 48 - Souad Massi

First Aired: July. 15,2012

A soulful yet steely singer-songwriter from Algeria charts her own course in these four songs.

Episode 47 - Laura Marling

First Aired: July. 12,2012

Two songs from A Creature I Don't Know bookend a gorgeous new, unreleased song called "Once."

Episode 46 - Brandi Carlile

First Aired: July. 09,2012

At the NPR offices, Carlile and her band sing from-the-gut songs about messy lives, loudly lived.

Episode 45 - Exitmusic

First Aired: July. 02,2012

The band plays a beautifully buzzing, nuanced set, marked by gorgeous grace and stirring melodies.

Episode 44 - Reggie Watts

First Aired: June. 25,2012

The comedian and musician performs spontaneous improvisations full of killer grooves and humor.

Episode 43 - Mariachi El Bronx

First Aired: June. 21,2012

The band plays with just the right mixture of passion and pathos in a fun set at the NPR offices.

Episode 42 - Glen Hansard

First Aired: June. 17,2012

Hansard flexes his neck muscles a bit as he performs new songs and deep cuts at the NPR offices.

Episode 41 - Daniel Johnston

First Aired: June. 11,2012

Watch three songs by a troubled soul with a talent for writing honest, disarmingly direct music.

Episode 40 - Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom

First Aired: June. 07,2012

The drummer dedicates tunes to her friends, including her first teacher — a "sometimes great guy."

Episode 39 - Kelly Hogan

First Aired: June. 04,2012

The unflappable singer performs three songs with seeming effortlessness and easygoing charm.

Episode 38 - Patrick Watson

First Aired: May. 31,2012

Watson has a lovely voice and a gift for wringing evocative sounds out of everything he touches.

Episode 37 - Canadian Brass

First Aired: May. 26,2012

The venerable brass quintet sports virtuosic, fresh-faced players in tried-and-true repertoire.

Episode 36 - Yann Tiersen

First Aired: May. 21,2012

Tiersen's rich, liltingly eccentric pop music is constructed from lots of sweet, intricate pieces.

Episode 35 - Arborea

First Aired: May. 17,2012

Rooted in acoustic traditions, the music of Arborea stands out for its calm beauty and rough edges.

Episode 34 - Chuck Brown

First Aired: May. 16,2012

The Godfather of Go-Go died Wednesday. In 2010, he brought his full band to the NPR Music office.

Episode 33 - Pedro Soler And Gaspar Claus

First Aired: May. 14,2012

The improvisational music of the father-son, guitar-cello duo functions as a beautiful conversation.

Episode 32 - Kishi Bashi

First Aired: May. 10,2012

K Ishibashi is a master at building songs from live violin loops, layered singing and beatboxing.

Episode 31 - Endangered Blood

First Aired: May. 07,2012

The jazz quartet draws from post-bop, 20th-century chromaticism and New Orleans funeral marches.

Episode 30 - Nathan Salsburg

First Aired: May. 03,2012

The guitarist displays intricate fingerpicking in two songs inspired by Kentucky Derby racehorses.

Episode 29 - Hospitality

First Aired: April. 30,2012

The group doesn't overwhelm so much as it wears listeners down with a subtle charm offensive.

Episode 28 - Cowboy Junkies

First Aired: April. 26,2012

The venerable band sounds as poignant and tender as ever in this performance at the NPR offices.

Episode 27 - Jolie Holland

First Aired: April. 23,2012

Holland plays songs with an unadorned tone that makes the voice and lyrics all the more touching.

Episode 26 - Soweto Gospel Choir

First Aired: April. 16,2012

The group fuses the music of many Christian cultures, with nods to African songs of celebration.

Episode 25 - Novalima

First Aired: April. 12,2012

At the NPR offices, the band plays in a lean, funky configuration that gets the room grooving along.

Episode 24 - Caveman

First Aired: April. 10,2012

Caveman writes guitar-based pop songs full of space and melodies you can carry around in your head.

Episode 23 - Kathleen Edwards

First Aired: April. 05,2012

The Canadian singer performs four sweet, warm, relatable songs that soothe as they nourish.

Episode 22 - So Percussion

First Aired: April. 02,2012

The ensemble employs all kinds of toys, from an amplified cactus to a mug filled with spare change.

Episode 21 - First Aid Kit

First Aired: March. 28,2012

Sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg make charming, folk-infused pop music that lulls and enchants.

Episode 20 - Kayhan Kalhor

First Aired: March. 24,2012

A soulful master musician from Iran, Kalhor performs a beautiful improvisation at the NPR offices.

Episode 19 - Real Estate

First Aired: March. 12,2012

Real Estate wears placidity well: It's a band born and bred to convey and celebrate laconic comfort.

Episode 18 - Rudresh Mahanthappa

First Aired: March. 08,2012

The saxophonist's new repertoire salutes electric funk, South Indian modes and swarming solos.

Episode 17 - Laura Gibson

First Aired: March. 05,2012

Her gorgeous, whispery voice inspired the Tiny Desk Concerts series in 2008. Now, Laura Gibson returns with her band to perform four songs from her new album, La Grande.

Episode 16 - Pistolera

First Aired: March. 01,2012

Through her insightful lyrics, Sandra Velasquez conjures the sounds of the Mexican desert.

Episode 15 - Milagres

First Aired: February. 27,2012

A band of selective minimalism, Milagres gets the most of simple sounds at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 14 - The Cranberries

First Aired: February. 23,2012

In this performance at the NPR Music offices, the Irish pop band mixes new songs with early hits.

Episode 13 - Joyce El Khoury And Brian Jagde

First Aired: February. 20,2012

Hear the fresh-faced opera singers perform Puccini at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 12 - Joan Soriano

First Aired: February. 16,2012

"The Duke of Bachata" gives a raw but beautiful interpretation of bachata at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 11 - Red Baraat

First Aired: February. 14,2012

The dance-friendly, India-inspired funk group performs a high-energy set at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 10 - Craig Finn

First Aired: February. 09,2012

The Hold Steady singer's stark side is nicely conducive to barren arrangements at the NPR offices.

Episode 9 - The Creole Choir Of Cuba

First Aired: February. 06,2012

The group has revitalized a long-lost culture through music performed entirely in Haitian Creole.

Episode 8 - Bill Frisell

First Aired: February. 03,2012

The brilliant and nimble guitarist reinvents the songs of John Lennon at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 7 - Girl In A Coma

First Aired: January. 30,2012

The San Antonio trio gets back to basics to explore its songs' forms and the soul of its lyrics.

Episode 6 - Anna Calvi

First Aired: January. 26,2012

Calvi plays songs from her self-titled debut in this powerful performance at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 5 - Glenn Jones

First Aired: January. 23,2012

Watch the masterful folk guitarist perform a lovely instrumental set at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 4 - Jake Schepps' Expedition Quartet

First Aired: January. 19,2012

Banjo master Schepps and friends create an intriguing goulash of Bartók, bluegrass and bebop.

Episode 3 - Screaming Females

First Aired: January. 17,2012

The band's keen sense of song prevails, especially in a new song called "It All Means Nothing."

Episode 2 - Le Butcherettes

First Aired: January. 09,2012

Watch singer Teri Gender Bender transform from a soft-spoken musician into a rock 'n' roll beast.

Episode 1 - Tinariwen

First Aired: January. 05,2012

Even in a stripped-down acoustic set, Tinariwen's trance-inducing desert music doesn't disappoint.

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