Any good singer who gives half a thought to the health of her instrument knows that hydration is crucial for functioning vocal cords. But when — whose left-of-center pop music makes great use of her mellifluous voice — stops for a water break in the middle of her Tiny Desk concert, she doesn't pull out some crappy plastic bottle. No, she drinks from a chalice.
That seems like precisely the right vibe for a performance by Polachek. Her songs are filled with vivid, extravagant imagery — headless angels, smoke floating over volcanoes, fiery sunsets, mayflies in the swimming pool — and in their production you can hear everything from a children's choir to bagpipes to glitchy beats. At the Tiny Desk, she maintains that adventurous spirit but works with a live band to give her songs a more homespun feel. Together, they perform four tracks from Polachek's Desire, I Want To Turn Into You: the propulsive "Pretty In Possible"; the romantic "Blood and Butter"; "Sunset," which gets a group clap-along from the assembled NPR staffers; and "I Believe," which Polachek and the band transform from a stuttering synth-driven track to an acoustic reverie.
Listening to Polachek's recent records, you might be tempted to think her vocals are drenched in pitch correction software. , but when she sings live and unamplified in the NPR Music offices, it's clear that the impressive range and control you're hearing is all her.
SET LIST
- "Pretty In Possible"
- "Blood And Butter"
- "Sunset"
- "I Believe"
MUSICIANS
- Caroline Polachek: vocals
- Matthew Horton: guitar
- Izzy Bolivar: guitar
- Maya Laner: bass, vocals
- Mikey Enright: keys
- Melody English: vocals
- Russell Holzman: drums
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Robin Hilton
- Director/Editor: Maia Stern
- Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin
- Creative Director: Bob Boilen
- Series Producer: Bobby Carter
- Videographers: Maia Stern, Estefania Mitre, Kara Frame, Michael Zamora
- Audio Assistant: Neil Tevault
- Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
- Photographer: Elizabeth Gillis
- Tiny Desk Team: Suraya Mohamed, Joshua Bryant, Hazel Cills
- VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
- Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann
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