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The Weakerthans

New Sylvan Esso, Sharon Van Etten, R.E.M. Acoustic Demo, More

Clockwise from upper left: R.E.M. in 1991, Sharon Van Etten, Sylvan Esso, Kate Tempest Courtesy of the artists hide caption

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Courtesy of the artists

All Songs Considered

New Sylvan Esso, Sharon Van Etten, R.E.M. Acoustic Demo, More

When Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson settled into the studio for this week's show, a clear theme quickly emerged: They had a whole lot of music by artists they already adore!

New Sylvan Esso, Sharon Van Etten, R.E.M. Acoustic Demo, More

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The Songs That Make Us Cry

The music that makes one of us emotional doesn't always make sense to others. William Lovelace/Getty Images hide caption

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William Lovelace/Getty Images

All Songs Considered

The Songs That Make Us Cry

This week: results from our survey about the songs that bring tears to your eyes. Hear listener submissions, as well as personal picks from the All Songs crew.

The Songs That Make Us Cry

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Review

All Songs Considered

Do Record Labels Matter?

On this edition of All Songs Considered, we ask the question: Do labels still matter? Host Bob Boilen talks with Monitor Mix blogger Carrie Brownstein, All Songs Considered producer Robin Hilton, and Song of the Day editor Stephen Thompson about some of their favorite labels, as well as the role those labels play in making music great.

Do Record Labels Matter?

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SXSW Music Festival

SXSW 2008: The Weakerthans

XPN

With the keyboardist literally running in from the street to play, The Weakerthans play SXSW. Four albums in, The Weakerthans' members are still making intelligent, punk-tinged pop music. The band's leader, John K. Samson, is a fiction writer disguised as a songwriter, crafting an impressive array of troubled wanderers and everyday Joes.

SXSW 2008: The Weakerthans

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World Cafe

The Weakerthans: Canadian Content

XPN

The Weakerthans' latest album is Reunion Tour, a collection of recurring characters, literary takes on John K. Samson's Canadian homeland and musical tributes to painter Edward Hopper. Hear an interview and in-studio performance from WXPN.

The Weakerthans: Canadian Content

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Music Interviews

The Weakerthans: Curlers, Bigfoot-Spotters Unite

The Weakerthans' members have built their careers around introspective, punk-tinged pop-rock. Their latest album, Reunion Tour, is full of songs that serve as short stories about bus drivers in Winnipeg, men in curling clubs, Bigfoot spotters and Edward Hopper paintings.

The Weakerthans: Curlers, Bigfoot-Spotters Unite

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