LIVE PERFORMANCE: lizzo - tiny desk concert (npr music)

SONG LIST
cuz i love you
truth hurts
juice

WONGIE LIVE PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: d.d dumbo - walrus / tropical oceans (npr music field recordings)

d.d dumbo - walrus / tropical oceans (npr music field recordings)
first things first, d.d dumbo (aka oliver hugh perry) is incredible live. with his 12 string guitar, a simple drum set and loops galore, the aussie creates a sound that is totally his own while offering vocals that are just lush. secondly it's taken a few years to put out a debut solo album (this live performance was done back in 2014!) but the wait for 'utopia defeated' is definitely worth it. i wanted to have you check out the live version of d.d dumbo skills first, then enjoy the studio version of his latest awesome single 'walrus' below.

LOVE THIS

d.d dumbo - walrus

WONGIE BALLAD OF THE WEEK: aurora - half the world away (john lewis xmas 2015 theme song) / npr tiny desk concert

aurora - half the world away (video premiere)
getting the coveted theme song to front the annual john lewis xmas ad campaign has been very beneficial for past stars (ellie goulding, tom odell, lily allen) and this year 19 year old aurora gets the chance to pull at our heartstrings with her cover of the oasis hit "half the world away". all this means big things for the norwegian singer/songwriter who has been on our radar since the summer. with a debut album set for early next year, this is just the perfect track to create some crossover buzz.

wanna see the john lewis ad? here it is below:

john lewis christmas ad 2015 - #ManOnTheMoon

UPDATE: check out aurora performing her just released npr tiny desk concert:

aurora - tiny desk concert
"Runaway"
"Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)"
"Running With The Wolves"

WE HEART SOAK: soak - tiny desk concert (npr music) / blud / b a nobody

soak - tiny desk concert
oh to be 19 and able to tour the world with your highly buzzed debut album 'before we forgot how to dream'. filled with teenage musings from a very talented young singer/songwriter, filtered through the indie charm of an irish lass and you have a pretty good idea of what you'll enjoy when you press play. stopping by npr music's tiny desk concert series, bridie monds-watson gives us a 3 song set of her current work.
set list:
sea creatures
B a noBody
wait

want more? check out some of her dreamy tunes that have been on repeat for the past few months:

soak - blud

soak - b a nobody

WE HEART HOZIER!: hozier - tiny desk concert / sedated (audio premiere)

hozier - tiny desk concert
how wonderful to see hozier doing so well in the states! check out his mini concert at npr last week!
set list
"take me to church"
"to be alone"
"cherry wine"

while you're swooning over his glorious voice, also check out his latest single that world premiered a few days back!

hozier - sedated

LIVE PERFORMANCE: johnnyswim - tiny desk concert

johnnyswim - tiny desk concert
OH MY GOSH, this husband and wife team of abner ramirez and amanda sudano (singer/songwriter/vocalists who met in nashville) is just goose-bumpingly AMAZING! just look at how they look at each other when singing as if they are just one entity. that kind of connection is a blessing to observe (especially in a small space like the tiny desk) and can only be hypnotic live. my new fave duo out there? i think so!
setlist:
"home"
"falling for me"
"diamonds"

WONGIE INDIE POP SONG OF THE WEEK: lucius - turn it around

lucius - turn it around
brookyln is in the house! fronted by the wonderful duo of jess wolfe and holly laessig, lucius is a retro inspired band that is causing some serious buzz among music fans all over. their current single 'turn it around' is a 60's girl band anthem that just forces you to instantly to fall in love with them. but check out their AMAZING npr tiny desk concert below where they showcase an surprising array of sounds that will blow you away! LOVE these guys!


lucius - NPR music tiny desk concert
set list:
"go home"
"don't just sit there"
"turn it around"
"genevieve"

want more? check out their wonderful performance of "turn it around" on jools holland last week!

lucius - turn it around (live @ later with jools holland)

WONGIE HIP HOP SONG OF THE WEEK: lizzo feat sophia eris - batches & cookies

lizzo feat sophia eris - batches & cookies
named one of the 10 artists you should have known for 2013 by npr, minneapolis based female mc lizzo is buzzing the blogosphere with her insta catchy hip hop number that's paired with this fun, all encompassing video jam. definitely crossing over in 2014 people!

WONGIE FOLK SONG OF THE WEEK: elephant revival - birds and stars

elephant revival - birds and stars
names one of npr's artists you should have known for 2013, this colorado quintet packs alot of musicality in the context of 'folk' music. just hear how complex the arrangement of this song is even though you can definitely hum along to it. kind of brilliant really. i'm putting them on my ones to watch 2014 list!

MELLOW FRIDAYS: keaton henson - tiny desk concert (live @ npr music)

keaton henson - tiny desk concert (live @ npr music)
the timid uk singer songwriter went to npr recently and gave an intimate tiny desk concert. you can hear a pin drop. brilliant.
Set List
"You Don't Know How Lucky You Are"
"Sweetheart What Have You Done To Us"
"You"

WONGIE VIDEO OF THE WEEK: laura mvula - she / tiny desk concert (live @ npr music)

laura mvula - she
what a glorious video to accompany this beautiful laura mvula album highlight! hitting on a young girls milestones in life, the video is just wonderfully visual thanks to director alex southam and without giving anything away, just promise you'll stay til the end. just lovely!

UPDATED: want more? check out this beautiful mini concert laura did at npr music a few weeks back!:

laura mvula - tiny desk concert (live @ npr music)
SETLIST:
"father, father"
"diamonds"
"she"

LIVE WONGIE: frank turner - tiny desk concert (live @ npr music)

frank turner - tiny desk concert (live @ npr music)
going on the wonderful (but cramped) settings of npr's tiny desk space, punk folkster frank turner brings his catchy gems and charming banter to the public radio crowd (and even trying to rouse them into a singalong!). he's adorbs as usual and hopefully translates as he makes his way touring through the US over the coming weeks. go see this guy if you get the chance!

SETLIST:
"recovery"
"the way i tend to be"
"photosynthesis"

LIVE WONGIE: the civil wars - npr music tiny desk concert

the civil wars - npr music tiny desk concert
[joy williams and john paul white aka the civil wars, can make even a simple acoustic performance in the npr office sound amazing! i LOVE this duo!!!
their set list:
"Barton Hollow"
"Twenty Years"
"Poison & Wine"]

ADELE MOMENT: adele - NPR tiny desk concert (someone like you / chasing pavements / rolling in the deep)

adele - tiny desk concert (someone like you / chasing pavements / rolling in the deep)
[love this breakdown from the NPR folks:

"There's no one way to define a great voice: Genius might lie in the phrasing, the range, the power, the control, the words themselves, or some sort of indescribable something else. But one way to diagnose genius for sure is to have a singer walk into a crowded room with little to no accompaniment, open his or her mouth, and command breathless attention in a matter of seconds.

Moments before performing, Adele breezed up to our makeshift stage with little fanfare, and proceeded to blaze through her set without so much as bothering to take off her gloves. Between songs, she showcased the mile-wide chasm between her mesmerizing singing voice and her far less polished speaking voice, occasionally even unleashing a truly magnificent cackle. At 22, Adele still isn't quite fully formed as an artist — which, after witnessing this set, is really saying something. She may well get even better, and even now, she's a marvel."]

WONGIE NPR SONG OF THE WEEK: the lonely forest - turn off this song and go outside

the lonely forest - turn off this song and go outside
[chosen as todays daily music pick for the very influential NPR (national public radio), these pacific north west coasters have been buzzing in the local music scene, but are jumping into the big leagues as they prep for their major label debut album with death cab for cutie producer chris walla. totally dig this anthemic track off their self titled EP and so should you!]

NPR SONG OF THE DAY: hey marseilles - rio

hey marseilles - rio
[though the band claim to be a folk act, this seattle based collective is definitely more than that. just listen to this wonderful tune (made npr's song of the day) as they add layers upon layers of instrumentation and catchy percussions. it's a music festival wrapped up in a song, if you ask me!]

WONGIE COVER OF THE WEEK: caroline chocolate drops - hit em up style (blu cantrell cover)

caroline chocolate drops - hit em up style (blu cantrell cover)
[oh this is GOOD STUFF! hot off of their sxsw performances, this north carolina trio offer up a rousing cover of the blu cantrell classic. no wonder it's npr's song of the day! enjoy!]

LIVE WONGIE: freelance whales - ghosting / generator 1st floor / generator 2nd floor (live @ npr music sxsw)

[a few days back, the ny based band, freelance whales went down to sxsw to offer their brand of arcade fire lite music to the throngs of music lovers. what went down was probably one of the festivals biggest success stories. with many reviewers calling their album 'weather vanes' derivative indie muck, the band ended up winning many of these naysayers over with their spot on live performances and rousing insta-anthems. lucky for us, npr music got the band to perform three songs and we can now see what all the (well deserved) fuss is about. yaaay freelance whales!]


freelance whales - ghosting


freelance whales - generator 1st floor


freelance whales - generator 2nd floor

LIVE WONGIE: rodrigo y gabriela (npr tiny desk concert)

rodrigo y gabriela (npr tiny desk concert)

LIVE WONGIE: the swell season (aka glen hansard and marketa irglova) - tiny desk concert (npr)

the swell season - tiny desk concert
[oh my god! part of the 6 song set from oscar winners glen and marketa (ONCE) is new material from their upcoming album strict joy!]