Stephen Thompson : NPR

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.

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Stephen Thompson

Tuesday October 19, 2010

NPR Music Faces The Man, With An Assist From Lost In The Trees

Lost in the Trees sticks it to the man by performing four string-swept folk songs for his amusement. Stephen Thompson/NPR hide caption

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Stephen Thompson/NPR

NPR Music Faces The Man, With An Assist From Lost In The Trees

October 19, 2010 • When NPR Music staffers were called upon to speak on Capitol Hill, we brought in a ringer: the Tiny Desk Concert veterans in Lost in the Trees, a.k.a. the band Bob wishes to adopt as his chamber-folk foster children. Hear the complete session.

Lost in the Trees: Recorded Live on Capitol Hill

25:24

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Sunday October 17, 2010

Coburn Dukehart/NPR

Hey Marseilles: Tiny Desk Concert

October 17, 2010 • These three songs, performed live at the NPR Music offices, benefit from a rich assortment of instrumentation: cello, viola, accordion, trumpet, snare drum, cymbal, tambourine, another gigantic drum and a pair of acoustic guitars.

Audio Only: Hey Marseilles' Tiny Desk Concert

Listen · 11:56 11:56

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Sunday October 10, 2010

First Listen: Elton John And Leon Russell, 'The Union'

Elton John and Leon Russell. courtesy of the artists hide caption

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courtesy of the artists

First Listen: Elton John And Leon Russell, 'The Union'

October 10, 2010 • Elton John has done reverence and irreverence, decadence and schmaltz. But he wears elegance especially well in The Union, his new, album-length collaboration with the man he calls his idol: 68-year-old fellow singer-pianist Leon Russell.

Max S. Gerber

First Listen: The Extra Lens, 'Undercard'

October 10, 2010 • It's best to think of Undercard as a Mountain Goats record -- it doesn't fall outside that band's continuum anyway, in terms of sound or overall quality, and both groups share the same voice. Hear Undercard in its entirety here until Oct. 19.

Sunday October 3, 2010

First Listen: Antony And The Johnsons, 'Swanlights'

Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons. Don Felix Cervantes hide caption

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Don Felix Cervantes

First Listen: Antony And The Johnsons, 'Swanlights'

October 3, 2010 • Swanlights isn't exactly a beach record, but for Antony Hegarty, it does sound like a rough approximation of feeling good -- or at least a sincere attempt to pursue happiness and growth. Hear Swanlights in its entirety here until Oct. 12.

Sunday September 26, 2010

John Clark

First Listen: The Corin Tucker Band, '1,000 Years'

September 26, 2010 • Hear the former (and future) Sleater-Kinney singer's fine new solo album, which sounds surprisingly muted compared to the raging wails of her past, but which nevertheless finds Tucker in a bold and exploratory place. The album will stream here in its entirety until its release on Oct. 5.

Monday September 20, 2010

Mito Habe-Evans/NPR

Eef Barzelay Of Clem Snide: Tiny Desk Concert

September 20, 2010 • Barzelay may be the most underrated songwriter in the business today, with a sneakily firm grasp on poignancy and humor, and his live performances convey a kind of awkwardly fidgety fearlessness. Here, he mixes old and new in a charming four-song set at the NPR Music offices.

Audio Only: Eef Barzelay's Tiny Desk Concert

Listen · 17:17 17:17

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Wednesday September 15, 2010

Mates Of State: Bathing Tom Waits In The Light Of The Sun

Mates of State's Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel turn Tom Waits' loping "Long Way Home" into a relentlessly sunny anthem. courtesy of the artist hide caption

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courtesy of the artist

Review

Mates Of State: Bathing Tom Waits In The Light Of The Sun

September 15, 2010 • It may be a Tom Waits cover, but there's no mistaking "Long Way Home" for anything but another catchy and ingratiating Mates of State song, sung in praise of a love that's strong enough to weather adversity, adventure and a few detours down side roads.

'Long Way Home' by Mates of State

3:30

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Heavy Rotation: What Tops Your Play Count?

On The Mynabirds' recent debut, Laura Burhenn sings a song called "Numbers Don't Lie." So there you go: Check the play count on your computer to answer the question, "What's your most played song?" Lisa Boggs hide caption

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Lisa Boggs

All Songs Considered

Heavy Rotation: What Tops Your Play Count?

September 15, 2010 • A few weeks ago, we sent a call-out for readers' most-played songs -- a request to go to iTunes (or Last.FM, or Pandora), organize your catalog by play count, and let us know which song had the most plays. Here are some of your answers.

Sunday August 29, 2010

First Listen: The Thermals, 'Personal Life'

The Thermals. Alicia J. Rose hide caption

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Alicia J. Rose

First Listen

First Listen: The Thermals, 'Personal Life'

August 29, 2010 • Personal Life, as the title suggests, finds The Thermals focusing mostly on the matter of relationships. The result is another gloriously glass-half-empty half-hour of fist-pumping anthems about the weaknesses that divide us. Hear the album in its entirety until its release on Sept. 7.

Monday August 23, 2010

A reissue of Carissa's Wierd's best work sets mournfully deadpan vocals against a vibrant bed of strings and accordions. Brian Marr hide caption

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Brian Marr

Review

Song Of The Day

Carissa's Wierd: Stormy, Defiant Beauty

August 23, 2010 • "The Color That Your Eyes Changed With the Color of Your Hair" is a five-and-a-half-minute gem from 2001's You Should Be at Home Here, setting Mat Brooke's mournful, deadpan vocals against a vibrant bed of strings and accordions.

'The Color That Your Eyes Changed With the Color of Your Hair' by Carissa's Wierd

5:24

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Wednesday August 18, 2010

Sun Kil Moon: Black And Blue And Beautiful

Sun Kil Moon's "Admiral Fell Promises" is an almost impossibly lovely and tender plea to a would-be lover. courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Review

Song Of The Day

Sun Kil Moon: Black And Blue And Beautiful

August 18, 2010 • "Admiral Fell Promises" is an almost impossibly lovely and tender plea to a would-be lover. Perhaps the least lascivious come-on in the history of seduction, "Admiral Fell Promises" alternates between reassurance ("Come into my arms and let your worries die") and obsession ("Let me lock you in my room and keep you for a while"). But the effect is unmistakably romantic and sweet.

'Admiral Fell Promises' by Sun Kil Moon

3:52

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Tuesday August 17, 2010

The Pop Artistry Of Justin Bieber, Celestial Choirboy

courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

The Pop Artistry Of Justin Bieber, Celestial Choirboy

August 17, 2010 • A DJ named Nick Pittsinger (a.k.a. Shamantis) recently took "U Smile," a hit by pint-size pop sensation Justin Bieber, and made it eight times slower. The result is astoundingly beautiful.

Monday August 16, 2010

Active Child: At Home In The 'Wilderness'

Active Child's "Wilderness" winds up somewhere truly beautiful: one part ambient electronica, one part bedroom folk. Brent Mullins hide caption

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Brent Mullins

Review

Song Of The Day

Active Child: At Home In The 'Wilderness'

August 16, 2010 • In the "Wilderness" populated by the L.A. band Active Child, falsetto-driven lamentations meet an unsettled electronic landscape marked by synth washes and portentous clicks and whirs. The resulting concoction piles atmosphere atop atmosphere until it lands somewhere truly beautiful: one part ambient electronica, one part bedroom folk.

'Wilderness' by Active Child

4:55

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Sunday August 15, 2010

Ra Ra Riot. courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen

First Listen: Ra Ra Riot, 'The Orchard'

August 15, 2010 • The Orchard's 10 songs positively burst with sophistication, precision and polish. They add up to a record that feels both big and personal -- just the right recipe for a band looking to jump to arenas in the months and years to come. Hear the album in its entirety until its release on Aug. 24.