How uncommon is it for a similar group of musicians to create not one however two beloved bands of the punk scene? Across the flip of the millennium, pg. 99 pushed heavy music to its most chaotic extremes, inspiring tattoos and the following era of hardcore. Then just a few members of pg. 99 began Pygmy Lush — one thing quieter and sweeter, although no much less experimental.
Pygmy Lush by no means broke up, life simply occurred; this Tiny Desk is the atmospheric folks band’s first reside efficiency in seven years. Whereas its catalog can get noisy, Pygmy Lush right here depends on haunted campfire singalongs from 2008’s Mount Hope (“Asphalt,” “Lifeless Don’t Move” and “Arduous to Swallow”) and “It’s a Good Day to Disguise” from its break up LP with the hardcore band Turboslut. Like these data, the foundations listed below are easy — acoustic guitars, looped melodies, repeated phrases, hushed vocals — however its light swells permit small emotions to develop roots and wander.
Blood and chosen household surrounds this set. Chris and Mike Taylor’s mom got here to see Pygmy Lush carry out for the very first time — the way in which they lit up when she entered the NPR Music workplace is simply too treasured for phrases. Johnny Ward’s mom sat beside her. Mike Widman’s eldest daughter sings on “Arduous to Swallow.” And, as a result of Pygmy Lush has at all times featured an orbit of collaborators, Aimée Argote from the shapeshifting indie-rock band Des Ark performs piano and sings — their contact is so delicate, but offers the monochromatic temper a lot coloration.
Pygmy Lush closes this Tiny Desk with “I’ll Wait with You,” a private request of mine. In years earlier, I’ve seen the band howl its catharsis with deafening quantity: “To the tip,” a declaration of friendship cast in and thru hardship. An unbreakable bond. Right here, the scream turns into a smile, a promise.
SET LIST
- “Asphalt”
- “It’s a Good Day to Disguise”
- “Lifeless Do not Move”
- “Arduous to Swallow”
- “I will Wait with You”
MUSICIANS
- Chris Taylor: vocals, guitar
- Johnny Ward: vocals, guitar
- Mike Taylor: guitar, vocals
- Mike Widman: bass
- Andy Gale: drums
- Aimée Argote: piano, vocals
- Ezra-June Widman: vocals
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Lars Gotrich
- Director/Editor: Kara Body
- Audio Technical Director: Josephine Nyounai
- Host/Collection Producer: Bobby Carter
- Videographers: Kara Body, Mitra I. Arthur, Alanté Serene, Elizabeth Gillis
- Audio Engineer: Carleigh Unusual
- Manufacturing Assistant: Ashley Pointer
- Photographer: Estefania Mitre
- Tiny Desk Crew: Hazel Cills, Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant
- Govt Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Collection Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
- VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
