The shortest Tiny Desk concerts of all time are…

Short attention span? Have we got the performances for you!

View this email online August 2, 2024 by Stephen Thompson If you’ve got a short attention span, we’ve got some performances for you; plus, watch new concerts from Kehlani, Shae Universe and more. Last week, this newsletter gave you a list of the nine longest Tiny Desk concerts of all time — that is, every one with a run time longer than 30 minutes. Naturally, the project of pulling that list together raised another question: What’s the shortest Tiny Desk concert of all time? Charting brevity is a little more complicated than ranking shows by simple length, because the number of songs Tiny Desk performers play has varied so much from show to show. So we’ll break ’em down into three categories: one-song sets, two-song sets and three-song sets. Tempting though it may be to include it in this ranking, I’m disqualifying the shortest “set” ever billed as a Tiny Desk concert: the odd little pre-recorded holiday song by the “band” we called HMSTR. It’s not a real band, not a real concert and not a live recording, but it does have adorable hamsters named Joni and Nash, so if you’ve got a spare 1:23, give it a look. They Only Played One Song! 3. Robin Olson (2018), 5:26 HMSTR isn’t the only lighthearted goof in the Tiny Desk archives. Another is a “concert” we published on April Fool’s Day in 2018, starring a hugely talented guy: our intrepid piano tuner, Robin Olson. Those of us who’ve worked in the NPR Music offices for a long time have the sounds of this Tiny Desk concert seared into our nightmares. 2. OK Go (2013), 4:47 This one’s part Tiny Desk concert, part music video and part magic trick. When we moved from NPR’s old building to the building we’ve occupied since 2013, the Tiny Desk team shot an incredible, guest-star-packed video in which OK Go performed “All Is Not Lost” as we moved the band — along with the Tiny Desk itself — over the course of a whopping 223 takes. 1. The Good Ones (2020), 3:32 The Rwandan band The Good Ones was supposed to perform a Tiny Desk concert in May 2020, but it was postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic; instead, they gave us this performance of “Soccer (Summer 1988),” shot on a farm in Rwanda after a ruinous night of flooding. The Good Ones did eventually make it to the NPR Music offices with a 21-minute set we published at the beginning of this year. They Only Played Two Songs! 3. Taken By Trees (2012), 6:52 Taken By Trees singer Victoria Bergsmann was under the weather at this 2012 performance, but the two songs she played — “I Want You” and “Only You” — are spare and beautifully understated. 2. Rock Bottom Remainders (2010), 6:09 The first sign that this one might run a little short: No members of the band in question brought any instruments. You see, the Rock Bottom Remainders are a supergroup of famous authors who put on concerts for charity — and none of them claim to be any good at music. So you’ve got big names (Dave Barry! Amy Tan! Scott Turow!) and, thankfully, one ringer in the form of The Byrds’ Roger McGuinn, who showed up to save the musical day. 1. Young Fathers (2015), 4:06 This one presented a huge logistical and musical challenge, as Young Fathers had to eschew many of their sonic building blocks — drums and electronics chief among them — in ways that made their sound tough to translate. As a result, only two songs made it into the final video, but at least those songs radiate quiet intensity. Hey, They Played Three Songs! 3. Latto (2020), 7:45 We haven’t yet brought Atlanta rapper Latto to the NPR Music offices, but this brief-yet-forceful Tiny Desk (home) concert offers up the next best thing: three punchy, powerful songs that center the young star as she sits atop a literal throne, her crown within reach. 2. Carrtoons, Kaelin Ellis, Kiefer & The Kount (2021), 6:31 This one’s hugely endearing for any NPR nerds who might be reading this. To celebrate the network’s 50th anniversary, we got four decorated producers and musicians to collaborate on fresh arrangements of the theme songs for Morning Edition, Weekend Edition and All Things Considered. The pieces are short but the talent is plentiful; two of these artists, Carrtoons and Kiefer, put out full-length in-office Tiny Desks just this year. 1. Ralph Stanley (2009), 5:11 Bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley was in town to promote a book but agreed to swing by, say a few words and sing us a few songs a cappella. “Gloryland, “Turn Back, Turn Back” and “Amazing Grace” are all performed with no adornment whatsoever — and are all the more beautiful for it. Newsletter continues after sponsor message Recent Tiny Desks Kehlani is an R&B star whose Tiny Desk debut finds them surveying some of their biggest, sultriest and most vulnerable hits.  Shae Universe, a British and Nigerian singer-songwriter, performs a set that looks at love in many forms, among them lust, romance and self-love. Ryan Leslie has had a fruitful career behind the scenes as a songwriter and producer in R&B, hip-hop and pop; now, he gets to seize the spotlight he’s long deserved. Feist brings something old (two songs from 2011’s Metals) and something new (two songs from last year’s Multitudes) to a warm, charming performance. Norah Jones played a Tiny Desk (home) concert in 2020, but she’d never made it to the actual Tiny Desk until this set, which showcases new songs before closing with her 2002 highlight “Come Away With Me.” Introducing NPR Music+, a new way to support what you love and explore new music and conversations sponsor-free. NPR Music+ includes two podcasts with one convenient subscription: All Songs Considered and Alt.Latino, both sponsor-free. Learn more and support us at plus.npr.org/NPRmusic Get NPR Music+ Around public radio KEXP in Seattle invited local heroes Thunderpussy to celebrate the group’s 10th anniversary with a live performance in the station’s studio.  The Current, from Minnesota Public Radio, hosted indie legends the Pixies, who performed three songs from the group’s forthcoming album The Night the Zombie Came, which will be out in October.  If summertime puts you in the mood for jazz, the latest episode of Jazz Night In America from WBGO and NPR Music features great festival performances featuring Gregory Porter, Gabrielle Cavassa and Cory Wong. KCRW in Los Angeles brought British post-punk heavy-hitters Yard Act to perform half a dozen songs from the group’s latest album, Where’s My Utopia? live in front of an audience at the station’s headquarters. Listen to your local NPR station. 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