About fifteen years ago, when I was first starting Cyan Pictures, I lived bi-coastally between New York and LA. I didn’t own – or need – a car here in New York, but I had a long-term rental SUV out on the West Coast, in which I spent hours each day, winding between meetings and production locations, through smog and heavy traffic.

Back in those pre-MP3 days, I had a small booklet of CDs in the car – the fraction of my larger collection that I was willing to tote out West – and I listened to those same CDs again and again and again.

One of those was Elliot Smith’s excellent XO, which Apple Music recommended to me this morning. Listening to it now, I was instantly transported back to that earlier place and time. I knew the words – really knew the words – knew each rise and fall, each chord strum and vocal nuance.

These days, I listen to a far broader lineup of musicians, albums, and even genres than I managed back in that distant past. I discover new music I’d doubtless otherwise miss, can pull up songs I love the moment they cross my mind. And, on balance, I’m hugely grateful for what streaming music has added to my life.

But I also can’t help but miss those old days, when technical limitations forced me to marinate in a small number of songs, held me to listening to albums rather than jumping between single tracks, and let me get to know, really get to know, songs in a way that etched them deep in my mind, in my heart.

In the wake of Chance the Rapper’s much-deserved Grammy wins, it’s great to see another quirky, independent, and truly excellent group get some recognition. Today, NPR’s All Songs Considered announced the winner of their 2017 Tiny Desk Contest: New Orleans’ Tank and the Bangas.

The group brings together great musicians with backgrounds in rock, folk, jazz, gospel, and hip hop, to create a self-declared new genre, “Soulful Disney.”

In turns, their music is funny, beautiful, ironic, fierce, melancholy. Consider this video, which got them the Tiny Desk nod:

Then juxtapose that with this performance, at the Essence Music Festival:

How is that the same group?

Or consider this studio session with the same song from the Tiny Desk recording, in which Tarriona “Tank” Ball throws off rap verses with aplomb, in a much more straight-ahead way (and with a shout-out to Chance’s signature “IGH” ad-lib):

And, finally, circle back to their performance of “Oh Heart,” off Think Tank (their first album, on Apple Music and Spotify, and most certainly worth a listen):

There’s a lot going on here – arguably too much – but it’s riding on a whole hell of a lot of talent, and as much group chemistry as I’ve seen on stage anywhere in years.

I’m keeping an eye on these guys, and I suggest you do, too. They’re headed for big things.