November 21, 2024

by Otis Hart

Stephin Merritt and the original crew from 69 Love Songs brought highlights from the beloved box set to our corner of NPR headquarters.

Alanté Serene/NPR

Devoted readers of this space might remember an anecdote I shared several weeks ago about how far in advance artists need to book Tiny Desk slots these days. (For those new to the newsletter, it’s around 6 months.) In the case of our latest concert, we actually approached the band way back during the halcyon days of 2023, when The Magnetic Fields announced it would be performing 69 Love Songs in its entirety at select spots across North America.

If you don’t know The Magnetic Fields, you are in for such a treat. 69 Love Songs might be the most adored indie rock album of all time. The title is literal: 69 quirky love songs spread across three CDs. Merge Records released it in 1999 to universal acclaim, and it’s been soundtracking weddings, anniversaries and Valentine’s Days ever since.

Given the songbook at Merritt’s disposal, our team’s anticipation leading up to this Tiny Desk was more fervent than usual. The band could only play a fraction of the hits from the album – would they pick our favorites? Thankfully, The Magnetic Fields performed seven songs (eight if you count the 27-second “Roses”), six of which I’m betting are on most fans’ shortlist of highlights from the record.

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The Latest Tiny Desks

Durand Jones: The artist sings fervently of hope, joy and perseverance backed by a group of impressive gospel singers.
Yunchan Lim: The youngest ever winner of the Van Cliburn Piano Competition makes our trusty upright piano sound like a 9-foot grand.
Elmiene: The 22-year-old British singer performs his charismatic, ’90s R&B-inspired love songs.
LaRussell: The Vallejo, Calif., rapper brings his famous backyard vibes to our office.
Sheer Mag: The Philly band, a force for good in rock and roll, runs through a career-spanning set with a little help from some bagpipes.

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Around Public Radio:

World Cafe in Philadelphia got legend Nick Lowe to sit down with an acoustic guitar for a solo set, which included “Cruel To Be Kind.”
WFUV in New York City filmed the very chill Hermanos Gutiérrez at City Winery. Check out the live version of the title to cut to the duo’s latest album, Sonido Cosmico.
KUTX in Austin welcomed one of Alt.Latino’s favorite artists, Girl Ultra, to the station’s Studio 1A for a 10-minute set.
Lake Street Dive performed a special version of “Twenty-Five” for Public Radio Music Day.
From The Top, our radio show celebrating young classically-trained musicians across the country, has a performance series called Daily Joy, and one of the latest videos features violinist Cooper Olsen and pianist Justin Bartlett playing Rossini’s Figaro.

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