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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

Wednesday

First Listen: Jimi Hendrix, 'People, Hell And Angels'

Jimi Hendrix's new album, People, Hell and Angels, comes out March 5. Brian T. Colvil/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Brian T. Colvil/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Jimi Hendrix, 'People, Hell And Angels'

These 12 previously unreleased recordings all shine a spotlight on Hendrix's considerable charisma, preserving the guitarist's work in amber while still polishing it up as good as new.

Jimi Hendrix, 'People, Hell And Angels'

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Monday

First Listen: Chelsea Light Moving, 'Chelsea Light Moving'

Chelsea Light Moving's self-titled debut comes out March 5. Carlos van Hijfte/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Carlos van Hijfte/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Chelsea Light Moving, 'Chelsea Light Moving'

With Sonic Youth on hiatus, Thurston Moore's new band sets out to pulverize and polarize on an album of sharp left turns. Loose but jagged, playful but menacing, the music of Chelsea Light Moving still finds room for glimmers of beauty.

Chelsea Light Moving, 'Chelsea Light Moving'

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Sunday

First Listen: Josh Ritter, 'The Beast In Its Tracks'

Josh Ritter's new album, The Beast in Its Tracks, comes out March 5. Laura Wilson/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Laura Wilson/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Josh Ritter, 'The Beast In Its Tracks'

The singer-songwriter's new album was written entirely in response to his recent divorce. Even in its darkest moments, though, The Beast in Its Tracks finds Ritter sounding more bruised than wounded, and yearning to compartmentalize and preserve the happy memories that remain.

Josh Ritter, 'The Beast In Its Tracks'

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First Listen: Cloud Cult, 'Love'

Cloud Cult's album, Love, comes out March 5. Cody York/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Cody York/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Cloud Cult, 'Love'

The Twin Cities band's ninth album bursts with warmth, whether in spare examinations of faith or in big-hearted explosions of ecstatic celebration. At times, Cloud Cult's music recalls the larger-than-life reverie of The Polyphonic Spree, but the music on Love feels more personal and fragile.

Cloud Cult, 'Love'

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Thursday

Playing SXSW? Send Us Your Song

This member of Middle Brother had someone send an MP3 to All Songs Considered a couple years back, and now look at him: He's on the NPR Music website again. Katie Hayes Luke/for NPR hide caption

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Katie Hayes Luke/for NPR

All Songs Considered

Playing SXSW? Send Us Your Song

The All Songs Considered gang is gathering MP3s to prepare for its coverage of the annual music festival. If you're an artist playing SXSW 2013, here's some information on how to make sure we hear one of your songs beforehand.

Monday

First Listen: Atoms For Peace, 'Amok'

Atoms For Peace's debut album, Amok, comes out Feb. 26. Eliot Lee Hazel/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Eliot Lee Hazel/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Atoms For Peace, 'Amok'

On Atoms for Peace's first official album, Radiohead singer Thom Yorke lays his weary-but-soaring vocals over an assortment of sounds that whir, clatter, click, twitch and sprawl.

Atoms For Peace, 'Amok'

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Sunday

First Listen: Shout Out Louds, 'Optica'

Shout Out Louds' new album, Optica, comes out Feb. 26. Frode & Marcus/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Frode & Marcus/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Shout Out Louds, 'Optica'

Particularly in its first half, Optica plays like a marvelous '80s mixtape, albeit one with modern production values and a good deal of subtlety. In all their sweet and sunny glory, the Swedish pop band's songs invariably chime and shine.

Shout Out Louds, 'Optica'

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Thursday

Tuesday

Tofu As Inspiration, Musically Speaking

The Heligoats. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

Tofu As Inspiration, Musically Speaking

In "Tofutti," The Heligoats' Chris Otepka examines the soy-based dairy-free product line as a jumping-off point for his thoughts on our desire to do right by ourselves, feel good and fit into the world around us.

The Heligoats, 'Tofutti'

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Monday

The xx: Tiny Desk Concert

The xx performs a Tiny Desk Concert on Jan. 29, 2013. Gabriella Demczuk/NPR hide caption

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Gabriella Demczuk/NPR

Tiny Desk

The xx: Tiny Desk Concert

Beneath The xx's tightly controlled image-making lays music that's raw and vulnerable; worried tentativeness is wired into a sound that shimmers powerfully, but remains as fragile and delicate.

The xx: Tiny Desk Concert

Listen · 6:40
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Sunday

First Listen: 'Son Of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys'

Keith Richards collaborates with Tom Waits in "Shenandoah" for Son of Rogues Gallery, out Feb. 19. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: 'Son Of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys'

Tom Waits, Patti Smith, Nick Cave, Beth Orton, Shane MacGowan, Courtney Love, Dr. John, Iggy Pop, Johnny Depp and more form a bleak-music Murderer's Row on this 140-minute collection of pirate-themed music.

'Son Of Rogues Gallery,' Disc 1

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First Listen: Ivan & Alyosha, 'All The Times We Had'

Ivan & Alyosha's first full-length album, All the Times We Had, comes out Feb. 26. Kyle Dean Reinford/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Kyle Dean Reinford/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Ivan & Alyosha, 'All The Times We Had'

It's about time Ivan & Alyosha received due praise as a standard-bearer for hyper-accessible, harmony-rich roots music: The band writes gorgeous, swelling, impeccably built songs about love and faith, and performs them with real charm.

Ivan & Alyosha, 'All The Times We Had'

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Friday

Spend Grammy Night Staring At Screens With Us!

Taylor Swift gives the opening performance at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards Sunday in Los Angeles. Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS hide caption

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Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Spend Grammy Night Staring At Screens With Us!

For the fifth straight year, whether marveling at Taylor Swift's capacity for surprise or trying to figure out what to type during the combined 37 minutes of Bruno Mars performances, Linda Holmes and Stephen Thompson live-blogged the ceremony in an effort to serve your reading-along needs.

Spend Grammy Night Staring At Screens With Us!

Listen · 5:09
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