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Stephen Thompson Stephen Thompson is a host, writer and reviewer for NPR Music and Pop Culture Happy Hour. He appears frequently on All Songs Considered and NPR newsmagazines.
Washington, DC - May 03, 2016: Stephen Thompson CREDIT: Matt Roth
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Stephen Thompson

Sunday

First Listen: Sharon Van Etten, 'Tramp'

Sharon Van Etten's new album, Tramp, comes out Feb. 7 Dusdin Condren/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Dusdin Condren/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Sharon Van Etten, 'Tramp'

There's no artifice to Van Etten: With refreshing, unmistakable directness, she sings like a human being who wants more from herself. On Tramp, she finds what she's looking for.

Listen To 'Tramp' In Its Entirety

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First Listen: Heartless Bastards, 'Arrow'

Heartless Bastards' new album, Arrow, comes out Feb. 14. Nathan Presley hide caption

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Nathan Presley

First Listen

First Listen: Heartless Bastards, 'Arrow'

Erika Wennerstrom's booming, throaty, commanding presence dominates the sound of Arrow, out Feb. 14.

Listen To 'Arrow' In Its Entirety

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Sunday

First Listen: Gotye, 'Making Mirrors'

Gotye's breakthrough album, Making Mirrors, comes out Jan. 31. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Gotye, 'Making Mirrors'

Making Mirrors, out Jan. 31, finds Gotye making the most of a canny notion: that the pop sounds of the '80s didn't fall out of fashion so much as fall victim to dated production.

Hear 'Making Mirrors' In Its Entirety

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Wednesday

Sunday

First Listen: Rodrigo y Gabriela, 'Area 52'

Rodrigo y Gabriela's new album, Area 52, comes out Jan. 24. Tina Korhonen/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Tina Korhonen/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Rodrigo y Gabriela, 'Area 52'

With the aid of a relentlessly proficient 13-piece Cuban orchestra, the duo reinvents its sound on Area 52, out Jan. 24. It utterly reconstructs the Rodrigo y Gabriela template, and morphs it into something worldlier, bigger, less formulaic and more surprising.

Hear 'Area 52' In Its Entirety

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First Listen: Nada Surf, 'The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy'

Nada Surf's new album, The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy, comes out Jan. 24. José del Río Mons/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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José del Río Mons/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Nada Surf, 'The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy'

Now seven albums into a 20-year career, Nada Surf relies on familiar ingredients throughout The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy, out Jan. 24: big guitars, beautiful vocal harmonies, generous affirmations.

Listen To 'The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy' In Its Entirety

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First Listen: First Aid Kit, 'The Lion's Roar'

First Aid Kit's new album, The Lion's Roar, comes out Jan. 24. Neil Krug/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Neil Krug/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: First Aid Kit, 'The Lion's Roar'

Sure, the Swedish sisters behind First Aid Kit exercise their love of Fleet Foxes on The Lion's Roar. But they also find room for the charming lilt of "Emmylou" and a ramshackle, clap-along rouser in "King of the World."

Hear 'The Lion's Roar' In Its Entirety

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Friday

John K. Samson: Brainy And Big-Hearted

In "When I Write My Master's Thesis," John K. Samson juggles a lively mind and a directionless heart. Jason Halstead hide caption

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Jason Halstead

Review

Song Of The Day

John K. Samson: Brainy And Big-Hearted

In "When I Write My Master's Thesis," Samson juggles a lively mind and a directionless heart.

'When I Write My Master's Thesis' by John K. Samson

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Sunday

Friday

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Resolutions For An Overloaded 2012
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Opinion

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Resolutions For An Overloaded 2012

For our first show of 2012, we run down New Year's resolutions past and present, examine the phenomenon of "pop culture overload," and, as always, rave about the stuff that makes us happy.

Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour

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Friday

Harvey Danger: How And Why To Say Goodbye

Anyone who's had a lousy year would do well to jam Harvey Danger's "The Show Must Not Go On" as the clock strikes midnight. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Review

Song Of The Day

Harvey Danger: How And Why To Say Goodbye

Anyone who's had a lousy year would do well to jam "The Show Must Not Go On" as the clock strikes midnight. It'll make a powerful soundtrack to a much-needed drowning of the past.

'The Show Must Not Go On' by Harvey Danger

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Tuesday

David Bazan: Sin And Salvation

David Bazan's "Wolves at the Door" tells grim stories, but it's rooted in the spirit of forgiveness. JUCO hide caption

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JUCO

Review

Song Of The Day

David Bazan: Sin And Salvation

"Wolves at the Door" tells grim stories, but it's rooted in the spirit of forgiveness.

'Wolves at the Door' by David Bazan

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Wednesday

David Mead: Heartache For The Holidays

In "The Smile of Rachael Ray," David Mead crafts a melancholy Christmas song with an unlikely star. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Review

Song Of The Day

David Mead: Heartache For The Holidays

Mead crafts a wistful, heartbreaking and humane new Christmas classic in "The Smile of Rachael Ray."

'The Smile of Rachael Ray' by David Mead

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