In a hotel room near midnight, Phoebe Bridgers shares a lullaby for the lost. You can’t help but hang on for dear life. Phoebe Bridgers was one of our top discoveries going into Austin’s SXSW, a quiet and powerful voice in the loud din of the festival. After she performed at Central Presbyterian Church, a favorite venue, Bridgers and percussionist Marshall Vore came to NPR host Bob Boilen’s hotel room just before midnight to play the striking song “Smoke Signals.” Stripped of the strings on the studio version, there is still a sweeping quality to this acoustic performance, something like Low’s elegiac waltzes blurred into open chords, suitcase percussion, children’s toy bells and vocal harmony. You can’t help but hang on for dear life.
The Fat Angel Sings 