Culture

Watch The Great Tiny Desk Contest Videos We Discovered This Week

By: Clara Maurer I NPR, Elle Mannion I NPR, Marissa Lorusso I NPR, Pilar Fitzgerald I NPR
Posted on: Thursday, May 2, 2019

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The Tiny Desk Contest judges are one week closer to picking this year’s winner! In the meantime, we’ve been discovering tons of great music on the Tiny Desk Contest website, where you can watch every eligible entry to this year’s Contest.

While we wait to see who the winner will be, we’ve also been running some weekly, just-for-fun, fan favorite votes. One of the most important rules of the Contest is that each entry must feature a desk so this week, we’re asking you to pick the best desk from this year’s videos!

We hope you discover some new songs — and desks — that you love. Below, you can check out our favorite entries we discovered this week.

Once & Future, “Vow Vision”

“Does anybody watch the Tiny Desk?” someone calls out as Once & Future’s Tiny Desk Contest entry video opens. “Oh yeah – so many!” comes a reply. It’s clear the Fairbanks, Alaska-based group has been paying attention: The five members fit a lively, catchy rock song into a relatively small living room with perfectly-timed dynamic changes and impressive, emotional clarity. —Marissa Lorusso

Ki5 (Kyler Wilkins), “Honey”

In Ki5’s entry video for “Honey,” the Michigan-based performer sings about his stress fading as he returns home to the familiarity of a lover. Like honey, Kyler Wilkins’ falsetto is sweet; the layers of loops are sticky and soothing, building to a celebratory bridge, then melting back down to calming waves. —Elle Mannion

Erin Lunsford, “What The Fire Is Made Of”

Erin Lunsford uncovers the beauty of simplicity in her entry video for “What The Fire Is Made Of.” The bluesy chord progression in waltz time gives the tune a country feel while Lunsford shows off her mesmerizing voice and fantastic vocal technique. Her clever lyrics warn listeners to respect the seemingly small sparks of love since they can erupt into fire. —Clara Maurer

Kora Feder, “Automatic Times”

Kora Feder’s entry, “Automatic Times,” carries an emotional weight that can stop you in your tracks, even long after the song is finished. Simple in its presentation, it’s a skillfully structured and impassioned plea for an end to gun violence. Its lyrics are increasingly heartbreaking. One line in the chorus, “Mass murder headlines are like photos on your hearth,” brought me to tears the first time I heard it; it’s one of many moments in the song that artfully shows how normalized these tragedies have become. —Pilar Fitzgerald

Lauren Eylise, “Come Back To Me”

In her soulful performance of “Come Back To Me,” Lauren Eylise shows off a true singer-songwriter gift: the ability to communicate vulnerabilities through music. Her lyrics describe the memories of lost love that play constantly in her mind. From the static of the guitar to the warmth of her voice, Eylise’s ballad of unrequited love is abundant in raw emotion. —Clara Maurer

All The Time Always, “79th Street”

All The Time Always’ entry video for “79th Street” showcases their artistic agility. Lead vocalist Makele Clemmons and guitarist Alex Restivo have a strong understanding of their style, commanding your attention throughout the song’s storytelling and evolution. Between sung and spoken recollections of a vulnerable upbringing in Chicago, Makele’s poetry centers the piece with its bluntness, dictated with a flow reminiscent of Noname and Chance The Rapper. Even in moments of technical difficulty, the duo never misses a beat, shaking it off and going straight into trading smooth solos to round out the song. —Pilar Fitzgerald