Lily & Madeleine: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

[@Imdamon1]

I have always suffered with mental issues on and off medication and drug addiction. Throughout all these years this one NPR tiny desk makes me cry every time I watch it. I have nobody and live alone. These songs comfort me and remind me of the better times. Something about their harmonizing and both their beauty. After these last years of them not makin music anymore I also get a wave of nostalgia when I had friends and family who cared and they just released their first album in 2013. I miss those times and the happiness I took for granite. After so many suicide attempts and still here walking this earth; to anyone who reads this just know you're not alone. There will always be someone just like you I'm just as alone as you are. May this music be a blessing to you.

[@nicholasbogosian5420]

They have new music that came out two weeks ago.

[@Vinedwall]

The song “The Devil We Know” reminded me of an young lady from Netherlands whom I met on the Camino de Norte three years ago. We talked over a bottle of white whine on a little kitchen table in a municipal albergue. I asked her if she had any social media accounts. She said she had none and she believed that if two people meant to meet again then they would sure be. She’s walking backwards from Santiago. So we’re not going to see each other, at least not on the Camino. In the morning, after I strapped my backpack back on my shoulders, I went into the room to say goodbye. She was still asleep. I woke her up and told her I was about to get back to the road. She gave me a very soft smile. That moment comes vividly every time I listen to this live, especially the first and last song.

[@wredwilly]

Really wish these 2 kept making music for the world to enjoy... I come back to this video so often. Beautiful soulful music.

[@zlovas1129]

They are still making music. This thing called Covid shut down the world for a while.

[@big_fat_hen]

Devil We Know is so SO good. Thanks ladies for taking us to paradise.

[@thutexas]

reminds me of first aid kit, but less folksy, more dreamy. love that y'all had lily and madeleine come in for tiny desk

[@tasiframpton3031]

LOVE their raw sound

[@zoeyciemny8861]

I cant stop listening to this...

[@jeng3000]

Love the fact that they use their REAL voices and aren't trying to mimic one of the two or three singers everyone is mimicking these days. It really is a musical epidemic in our time, the mimicry that is happening. So glad to hear creative people like these sisters doing their own thing.

[@johncummins6655]

They are similar to Isley who also didn't mimic.

[@jimmoore9239]

2) Simple is good. Everything about their music is amazingly simple. They aren’t doing any fancy stuff like key changing, time signature shifting or anything remotely complicated. Some of their most lush and interesting work is simply them singing in straight 4/4 time with a piano and guitar (like this killer performance) as on their EP Acoustic Sessions. Or, just a guitar (see: “Paradise”, “Things I’ll Later Lose”). Or no instruments at all!

[@ViolinAddict]

That's real talent... that's LIVE! Some recording artists can't craft something like this with 100 takes...

[@jimmoore9239]

From the Chicago Tribune, Oct 29, 2013:articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-10-29/entertainment/chi-lily-madeline-sisters-indianapolis-20131029_1_sisters-indie-girls This is so true: [-On its surface, the golden rise of Lily & Madeleine sounds like another typical story of Internet-driven fast fame built on youth, beauty and a few catchy songs. But rest assured: there is nothing superficial or typical about this duo and its startling talent. Prepare to be emotionally disarmed by the otherworldly, heart-shredding harmonies of these Indianapolis, Ind. sisters. No one seems more surprised by the sudden success of the duo than Lily and Madeleine Jurkiewicz themselves. "We didn't expect any of this to happen," says Lily, 16.-]

[@FtaBta]

Some of the most beautiful voices Ive ever heard on tiny desk!

[@IknowIamkindagreat]

These two's harmonies are from Heaven itself.

[@basselope1418]

their voices fit together perfectly

[@amcsdmi]

it's crazy how well they blend. I thought it was one person singing with an effect at first.

[@jimmoore9239]

3) OK, the harmony. Their signature vocal blends are highly original and are, in fact, the essence of their sound. These kinds of harmonies are something that perhaps not all singers/musicians can pull off. Do take note of how they save their best harmonies for crucial parts of the song - as an emotional build-up, as a way to really highlight an already hook-y chorus line or by simply placing their sweetest vocal magic at THE most emotional line(s) in the song. Their harmony lines are like an alternate melody. Another cool trick they pull off is starting a song out in locked-in vocal unison. And I do mean locked-in. It sounds like one voice and then suddenly sweet harmony notes begin to rise out into the air and it is just perfect. Look for their cover of Alex Turner’s (Arctic Monkeys) “Stuck on the Puzzle” for an excellent example of this.

[@jimpdeignan]

Sibling harmonies can be so beautiful. The Everly Brothers, Tim and Mollie O'brien. These ladies have the same magic.

[@jimmoore9239]

I hope these sisters are rewarded for all of their hard work. They have only been writing and performing for a little over two years and already have quite a large song catalog. I buy everything they produce and you should too. Their live shows are not to be missed. They are teaching a master class in modern American songwriting and performing. Best of luck to them as they grow and mature. They have brought a simplicity and beauty into music that is just fantastic to hear.

[@brianjacobi]

These young ladies are so special arent they . I love listening to their harmonies, and watching the rapport between them.Please take care Girls, I want to hear your wonderful voices for many years. Thanks so much for posting. Brian. New Zealand.

[@jimmoore9239]

6) Silence has a place in music. Especially, their music. In their quirky sea-shanty “Lost Upon The Sea” the sisters leave things quiet for as long as four seconds. Dead silent. Other songs use either near silence or complete silence as a highlight. For their style, the silence in the mix just makes you want to hear their voices all the more.

[@charlesstratton6270]

Great commentary.

[@lho3201]

+Jim Moore Jim, your comments are spot on. Thank you. I've followed these two since before they were known and loved almost everything they've recorded. I mean, shit, just hearing either one say "Hello" is almost a turn on, because they say it so beautifully. And your comment about the periods of dead silence is so true. Someone once wrote that gifted artists, in general, understand that judicious use of white/blank space in a sketch or painting is what makes the image. Ditto with gaps of silence in songs by gifted singers.

[@lho3201]

+Jim Moore Jim, your comments are spot on. Thank you. I've followed these two since before they were known and loved almost everything they've recorded. I mean, shit, just hearing either one say "Hello" is almost a turn on, because they say it so beautifully. And your comment about the periods of dead silence is so true. Someone once wrote that gifted artists, in general, understand that judicious use of white/blank space in a sketch or painting is what makes the image. Ditto with gaps of silence in songs by gifted singers.

[@MarthaGarvey]

Lovely.

[@johncummins6655]

Great point, just a really great point. It's similar to the stuff that Hitchcock doesn't show in his movies. It's like the special camera shots that make one imagine.

[@Contraflow01]

What. Its been 6 yrs and I only got this recommendation. I protest.

[@esohedicho]

and by the way... please, PLEASE, Sufjan Stevens deserves to be in the Tiny Desk Concerts

[@haydenolberding1925]

lol i bet if they could get him on here they would. he either doesn't want to or he doesn't have time for it

[@johncummins6655]

He hasn't been? What?

[@anthonysullivan3238]

So love this Lily and Madeline are so talented - they are terrific performers, beautiful voices, wonderful harmonies, great songs, what's not to like.

[@KatyMantyk]

Yeah, these songs are definitely going to be played again. So soothing, simple yet complex.

[@guitarzilla]

Simple songs but very nice harmonies. Nice girls.

[@phillipbrown1016]

i'm in love with the entire concept of this duo. their sound is angelic they were born to harmonize with each other. i just love to hear simple song played to the full potential thereby making them very complex........ lily and madeleine i love you guys you are beautiful humans and you give me new hope that this world might be able to be saved...wow

[@jimmoore9239]

The singing sister duo from Indianapolis, Indiana named Lily & Madeleine (Jurkiewicz) might be young (Lily is 17 and Madeleine is 20) but they somehow have this amazing talent for writing superb American music. I won’t even try to speculate about how this happened at their young ages but I am sure glad it did! I’ll chalk it up to pure, raw talent. Here are ten things that I love about the way these talented sisters write, record and perform their heavenly music.

[@highhorse313]

I found myself smiling throughout these songs at the sweetness and light and promising talent these young ladies possess.

[@akamarvin]

Third watch in 4 days, these songs grew on me, they already do feel now as that one old pillow in the couch you always prefer to the others. Thx Tiny desk team, Thx Lily & Madeleine

[@shaunboden6951]

This was the first thing I saw of theirs, and I was hooked.

[@ckn711]

Your music just takes me away to another place that’s simple and beautiful. Thank you for sharing your music with all of us

[@garyhoutz1540]

The first few seconds of this video made me fall in love with Madeleine, and of course their music.

[@elizabethpoe2367]

talented and lovely young women. May God Bless your music and your careers. Cheers from Nashville and Franklin, Tennessee

[@jimmoore9239]

7) Lyrics always matter. Consider: “Lower the curtain. Let the rain come down like a spirit. Let it hit the ground. Come the memories. Come the shivering cold. Let the rain fall. It’s the devil we know.” Just a few simple sentences but so, so powerful. Are they telling a story? Are they sharing memories? Are they just painting a word picture? All of the above? The visual poetry in Lily & Madeleine’s lyrics is every bit as attractive as their gorgeous harmonies. They write from what they know. They use a clever mixture of “old-timey” Midwestern phrases - a-marchin’, a-wanderin’, a-fallin’, reckon - right alongside more traditional words and phrases - “so long gone”, “under the great sky”, “sky was falling over us”, populating their music with tangled rivers, colorful birds, cider mill orchards, copperheads, mountains, wolves, rabbits and stone-hearted lovers who whistle “The End” in the kitchen. When Lily sings the opening lines to “Hold Onto Now”, it sometimes chokes me up - “Life. Life is fleeting. Let’s not wait on meaning.” Beautiful. Words matter.

[@maretomaski6324]

Beautifully stated! Love your review, you nail it!

[@TeamPill]

I rarely listen to lyrics

[@kirill76kuzmin]

Sound engineering team is fantastic. World's best microphones, too...

[@Cringing_Cranium]

Oh my - very nice. Extremely well matched voices, like smooth candy truffles for craving ears. That may sound corny but that is what came to mind as soon as they started to sing. A very remarkable pair, these two women create harmony that just hits the spot.

[@zanewright9686]

2021 still hooked on these ladies. Grew up in Noblesville, they capture Indiana spirit perfectly and always make me homesick. So glad I got to see them twice in Denver. Keep putting out those BANGERS!!

[@rbaleksandar]

Love the harmonies. Lyrics are great too. Overall it's a delight to listen to those two beautiful singing flowers. :)

[@peace_and_love]

W O W ! strong & soft, beautiful & soulful voices/music ✨✨✨ I can hear wild horses running & the sound of a gentle river stream at the same time 💙 inspiring

[@jonsnoek2344]

They have great voices that also compliment each other really well, filling in each other's tone gaps, if they even have any. Hopefully they can only get better!

[@Feedurehed]

Simple......and simply perfect.......x

[@chucklaneChuckylane]

WOW! This is a nice treatment for the stressed out day I had. Thank you.

[@tmonkeypunch]

Wow. It's always amazing and refreshing when artists like Laura Marling, Jake Bugg, and these sisters show such incredible talent at such young ages writing meaningful lyrics with catchy folk melodies while the rest of the world forget what good music sounds like. I always get excited when I discover new bands or artists that match my taste for music. It's like striking gold. In my opinion they kinda remind me of First Aid Kit. Nonetheless, awesome.

[@joriskingma]

Damn do these voices combine! And DAMN do they know how to use such a blessing!

[@elliotgould4388]

Fabulous harmonising by these gals...

[@ARedBucket]

They just keep getting better! It's so lovely to have discovered them here and looking now their growth and evolution. I love it!

[@nolandionne1262]

Caught these two on bandcamp a while ago. Fantastic musicians. You go, girls.

[@flipchick88]

Wow. They are so young & extremely talented! I love their vocal harmonies and their overall sound!

[@andrieslouw3811]

Serious flower power. xxx And the miss with the guitar can relax the music is fantastic.

[@jacksonbarry8210]

I've got tiny desk playlist on while im in the library and its honestly great study music.

[@MrCanigou]

beautiful voices, splendid sisterhood

[@protestantlutheran2941]

saw these two today at mile of music, one word "Awesome".

[@2ubester2]

Such a big sound for just two artists. Love it.

[@ishaycraig1658]

i hadn't heard of this band before, thank you! the piano esp in the first song + voices so beautiful wow

[@anthonysullivan3238]

absolutely loved this - the songs are beautiful - the performance is beautiful - and they are lovely - connected at the hip

[@Sequencers]

What a breath of fresh air and so natural not enough paint to paint a battle ship or enough powder to blow it up ! Lovely singing girls God bless Steve

[@jward9637]

Beautiful harmony!!

[@georgiadelosreyes]

Beautiful. Feels like a jacuzzi and I wanna dip in that.

[@garmonik3]

Одно из прекраснейших выступлений на этом канале! Душевная музыка и очаровательные исполнительницы.-) This is one of the beautiful perfomance on that channel! Very emotional and so charming.-)

[@mgorczyn]

How can you NOT like this

[@sureshkakaiya1825]

Like most, if not all Tiny Desk performances, superb!

[@michellee321]

Beautiful harmonies. Great music, Lily & Madeleine! You have gained a new fan. :)

[@jimmoore9239]

9) Inflection is infectious. Have to give credit to the Jurkiewicz girls for the tasty inflections they pepper throughout their songs. Listen to Madeleine sing the line from “Tired”: “The city seems much taller. Maybe I’m just smaller?” The inflection comes on the word - smaller - and it really makes the line stand out. The song “Paradise” is loaded with ear-catching inflections (listen carefully to Lily). Adding the sweet inflections to the harmony makes many of their vocal lines irresistible.

[@MillionthRoll]

The piano melody in the first song is so good holy fuck

[@periurban]

Beautiful in every way!

[@jimmoore9239]

4) OK, the melody. The Jurkiewicz sisters write strong, interesting melodies. One of the secrets to killer harmonies is killer melodies. Much of their work is written in a minor key but their melodies are excellent and make the harmonies shine extra bright.

[@nogoogleplus]

Damn that 1st tune is SO good....

[@sbokhumsook1494]

ฟังเเล้วรู้สึกผ่อนคลาย มาก ๆ ชอบสุด ๆ I feel to weekend.. really love them

[@OracleAnne]

NPR, you've done it again. You've made me love a brand new band. Now, you should call up Elenowen and get them to play a TDC.

[@gorillashop337]

Your music is an eargasm

[@taasinbinhossainalvi9173]

Didn’t know this existed. Now I’m almost crying 😭

[@MoisesSoareseel]

Amazing voices. They are beautiful too, a little bit shy but still impressive.

[@jaredaverill3971]

I saw these gals the pas week and they were the best performance I've seen since RUSH.

[@SFinerFACE]

Just discovering this video, and these two. Absolutely beautiful :)

[@iangibbs5981]

Sean Fineran-SFinerFACE

[@esohedicho]

great taste, Sufjan!

[@adzdahlman9724]

You two are adorable. That was simply lovely*

[@johnpsmith84]

The girl on the left is GORGEOUS!

[@sidfernandez7569]

wow, vocals sound great. okay, now this is something worth watching.

[@mgrubb9212]

Seeing Lily and Madeleine tonight in STL! So excited.

[@gabrielvielma9222]

PERFECT MUSIC!!! PERFECTA Y MARAVILLAS CHICAS DE LA MUSICA

[@jimmoore9239]

10) Vocalization adds a lot. Vocalizations - Oooos and Ahhhhs - and other non-spoken but harmonic singing has been missing from American music for many years. Lily & Madeleine have this aspect of their craft down pat. Sometimes they begin a song with lovely vocalizations (“Sounds Like Somewhere”, ”Ride Away”). Other times they end it with their vox honey (“Hold Onto Now”, “Stuck on the Puzzle”). Still other times, it appears somewhere within the song (“Devil We Know”). They have a real knack for inserting this ear-sugar perfectly and it really, really adds beauty to their music. Their vocalizations alone are hooks.

[@protestantlutheran2941]

saw these two tiday at mile of music, one word "Awesome".

[@grassandrogers]

It's good to hear young people in this genre writing good lyrics again!

[@TheJjlee]

It baffles my mind how this Chanel doesn't have more subs!! Also this is beautiful.

[@jimmoore9239]

8) Wood is good. I am well aware of the power and depth that digital fX and instruments have on today’s music. One of the things many fans notice about Lily and Madeleine is that they don’t seem to use anything digital. In fact, an electric stage piano seems to be about as hi-tech as they get. Shannon Hayden, their brilliant cello/mandolin/guitar player uses digital fX but not the sisters. Having listened to the sisters in interviews it just seems to me that they have yet to be exposed to anything more elaborate from the digital realm and they are just kind of all golly-gee-whiz when it comes to anything other than a piano keyboard or a guitar fret board. This makes them super special, in my opinion - young American songwriters who are pretty much all-wood all the time. They are becoming more accomplished on their instruments - piano and guitar - by the day and are amazingly polished performers.

[@AcousticGeorge]

Holy moly, these guys rock!

[@spergferguson2602]

These 2 and First Aid Kit need to tour together

[@daskloppenfield]

+Sperg Ferguson you should join them on tour sperg a licicious

[@williamtylerast]

this is incredible. I would give a lot to see them, and infinitely more to play with them.

[@EduardoUlloa]

Muchas gracias desde Chile! Lily & Madeleine tienen un nuevo fanático! c:

[@abbigalecarnes2466]

They inspire me so much! :)

[@emmad4152]

Ufffff sublime!!!! What a wonderful, talented and beautiful women :)

[@grotemuis4889]

Love their singing, heard them on NPR and had to find out who they are!

[@abannistar]

thanks Jim, i hope next time they are here i dont miss them.

[@breadvelvet]

Wow, first Keaton Henson a while back, then Daughter, now this? All I could ask for now is a Josh Garrels concert and my life will be complete

[@indefinicy]

Sisters are the best! Yay accidental discoveries! Wonderful.

[@frankb9549]

still beautiful X

[@TreavorUnion]

So chill, much pretty

[@ErnestBombiGarcia]

Que voces más bellas! Gracias por compartir vuestra música :)

[@ckallaher]

Love the sibling harmonies. The Everlys. The Roches. The Avetts. And now Lily and Madeleine. Beautiful!

[@Pckledaddy]

Ooo this is like chocolate to your ears.

[@Alfalfalfasprout]

I swear I am seeing you on every video. This, Pity Sex. Some other band.

[@Pckledaddy]

Griffin Wollowitz I get around I suppose. The other band was The Front Bottoms by the way I believe.

[@thebeardedladies6036]

lol thank you for this.

[@martoman83]

it sounds great !!

[@arnaudmarchand3263]

I usually hate comments on people's appearance instead of their qualities, but man, those two girls are so beautiful, I think I fell in love with the one playing piano as soon as I saw her face. Now, that beaing said, their compositions and interpratations are unbelievably touching and I will listen to more of their music with joy. Such a wonderful discovery...

[@dianenyukikilufyamoretti9835]

Excellent.