It is that time of the year when people scramble last minute to get their submissions in for the NPR Tiny Desk contest in hopes that they will be noticed. Maybe get featured as a “favorite of the week”, be forced to generate some new content, or truly stand out and wow some of the judges on the panel of the contest (this year featuring songwriter Jason Isbell, DJs Abbie Gobeli (KEXP) and Raul Campos (KCRW), NPR hiphop staff writer Rodney Carmichael, R&B/jazz singer Ledisi and indie rock star Lucy Dacus…and of course the ringleader himself, Bob Boilen).

Standing out is a big part of this I would assume right off the bat. If you background is just right. If its obvious you are at/around a desk. The general professional nature of your shoot…and of course if you are an extravagant spectacle to behold like our dear friends Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys.

Walter and the band are eclectic and prolific at the least and genre bending and over the top to many people who may come across them at most. Just looking at their Bandcamp page unleashes a seemingly unending list of releases. And the artwork to couple with these songs is always beautifully macabre. I cannot get enough of this eerily wonderful collective of musicians.

They certainly do not tire or grow weary on the creativity front and their 2019 Tiny Desk submission is no different. The liners on the Youtube video lists “broken toys and glockenspiel” on the first two lines. And as always the energy of the band is electrifying.

Check it out below and we wish our friends of the Army of Broken Toys all the best luck for this year’s contest!