NPR Tiny Desk Concerts [Exclusive Red Marble]

Magnolia Records Presents: NPR Tiny Desk is a collaborative project of some of our favorite Tiny Desk performances, put onto an exclusive red marble vinyl.

Tracklist-

1. Stubborn Love by The Lumineers

2. Stay High by Brittany Howard

3. Colors by Black Pumas

4. Lady May by Tyler Childers

5. Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars

6. Only Son by Shakey Graves

7. Birmingham by Shovels & Rope

8. Hard On Everyone by Kathleen Edwards

9. Landfill by Daughter

10. I Don't Wanna Lie by Yola

—

What is Tiny Desk?

The concept of the show is simple: Musical acts come to play a show behind the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen.

They run the gamut from little-known alt-rock bands (Car Seat Headrest, Mothers) to legends (Yo-Yo Ma, Adele). They could be quiet acoustic duos, metal acts, 23-piece Brazilian brass bands, or hip-hop artists. There’s only one rule: All equipment has to fit behind the desk. No PA system, no elaborate effects rigs, no fancy electronics.

The shows are recorded and then posted to YouTube and NPR Music’s website, where they garner millions of views.

Confining an artist to a desk has a very real effect on the outcome of sound. Sets are incredibly intimate, up-close, and personal — sometimes almost painfully so. As one producer tells me, “There’s nowhere to hide at Tiny Desk”: Stripped of typical stage equipment, musicians are forced to confront the essence of their art form.

— Vox