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Music

Superorganism’s NPR Tiny Desk Concert Is So Fucking Cool

Inflatable whales hanging from the ceiling tell you all you need to know, as Orono Noguchi and co. play tracks from their inventive debut album.
Lauren O'Neill
London, GB

Superorganism came out of the gate with an extremely unique sound which has allowed them to put their own spin on tracks by artists as diverse as Camila Cabello and Pavement. However, they're at their best when they're just being themselves, as their new NPR Tiny Desk Concert attests. It is completely and totally batshit, Orono Noguchi's still, deadpan vocal delivery offsetting the bizarreness happening around her. Inflatable whales hang from the ceilings, and instruments played include:

  • a bucket of water
  • a beaker of water and a straw
  • a pair of shoes
  • a hotel service bell
  • a toy car
  • a toy till
  • a cup of Coca Cola
  • a phone alarm
  • a windchime

So, you know it's legit.

The band played tracks from their self-titled debut album ("The Prawn Song," during which Noguchi read aloud from a copy of "Self-Reliance and Other Essays" by Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Night Time," and "Something For Your M.I.N.D."), and they sound even better here than they do on record – or at least I think so. The Tiny Desk is always a place where bands can come to embody their very essence – it's a stripped back but also well-equipped gig – but it's pretty rare that anyone's done it in as uninhibited and cool a manner as Superorganism. Watch it above, and have the best ten minutes of your day.

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