Arlo Parks: Tiny Desk Concert

Bobby Carter | November 1, 2023 Watching Arlo Parks read an excerpt from her newly published book of poetry, The Magic Border, during her performance, it felt like a full circle moment for her. Her origins as a musician began with poetry, but she also explained between songs that Tiny Desk concerts also planted seeds during her formative years as an artist. “This session is generally one of the reasons that I decided to make music and I grew up with this session, so it’s really special to be here..“ Three years ago, with just a guitar in tow, she recorded a Tiny Desk home concert. Two albums later, she’s made it official behind the real Desk, this time with a full band to back her up. Aside from “Eugene“ from her Grammy-nominated, Mercury Prize-winning debut album, the entire set is comprised of cuts from her sophomore album, My Soft Machine. The drum loops and breaks hit hard on My Soft Machine, but these stripped-down versions deviate just enough to allow her voice to s