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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: Villagers, '{Awayland}'

Villagers' new album, {Awayland}, comes out April 9. Rich Gilligan/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Rich Gilligan/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Villagers, '{Awayland}'

Villagers' Conor O'Brien has a great gift for songs that almost always turn something on its head. On {Awayland}, he mixes thoughtful approachability with an assortment of trips down more surprising side roads.

Villagers, '{Awayland}'

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Thursday

Sunday

First Listen: Caveman, 'Caveman'

Caveman's new, self-titled album comes out April 2. Philip Di Fiore/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Philip Di Fiore/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Caveman, 'Caveman'

What Caveman's second album lacks in overt grabbiness, it gains in inviting, atmospheric warmth; this is a band that, only two albums into its career, already understands the art of the slow burn and the subtle build.

Caveman, 'Caveman'

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First Listen: Telekinesis, 'Dormarion'

Telekinesis' new album, Dormarion, comes out April 2. Kyle Johnson/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Kyle Johnson/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Telekinesis, 'Dormarion'

On his third album as Telekinesis, Michael Benjamin Lerner infuses his compact, concise pop-rock nuggets with warmth and messy emotions that make them feel human.

Telekinesis, 'Dormarion'

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Monday

Sunday

First Listen: Wavves, 'Afraid Of Heights'

Wavves' new album Afraid of Heights comes out March 26. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Wavves, 'Afraid Of Heights'

The new album from these sons of grunge has the mix of pop and pessimism pioneered by Nirvana and others. Without the earlier bands' studio slickness — and despite various onstage and offstage upheavals — Wavves battles personal demons with powerhouse choruses.

Wavves, 'Afraid of Heights'

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Thursday

Dave Grohl's SXSW 2013 Keynote Speech

Dave Grohl gives the keynote speech at SXSW 2013. Mito Habe-Evans/NPR hide caption

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Mito Habe-Evans/NPR

SXSW Music Festival

Dave Grohl's SXSW 2013 Keynote Speech

Dave Grohl has become the unofficial Mayor of Rock 'n' Roll. Watch Grohl's keynote address at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas.

Dave Grohl's SXSW 2013 Keynote Speech

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Alt-J, Live In Concert

Alt-J lead vocalist Joe Newman gives his unique voice a break during the band's show at NPR Music's SXSW showcase at Stubb's in Austin. Adam Kissick for NPR hide caption

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Adam Kissick for NPR

Live in Concert

Alt-J, Live In Concert

The Mercury Prize-winning band from Cambridge, England, capped NPR Music's SXSW showcase in Austin. Watch them dig deep into their one and only album, An Awesome Wave, in front of a packed house.

Alt-J, Live In Concert

Listen · 49:51
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Le1f, Live In Concert

Le1f performs at NPR Music's 2013 SXSW Showcase at Stubb's. Adam Kissick for NPR hide caption

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Adam Kissick for NPR

Front Row

Le1f, Live In Concert

The New York rapper whips his three-foot-long glow-in-the-dark hair back and forth during a memorable set at NPR Music's SXSW showcase at Stubb's in Austin, Texas. Watch the entire performance.

Le1f, Recorded Live At Stubb's

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Youth Lagoon, Live In Concert

Trevor Powers of Youth Lagoon performs at NPR Music's 2013 SXSW Showcase at Stubb's. Adam Kissick for NPR hide caption

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Adam Kissick for NPR

Front Row

Youth Lagoon, Live In Concert

Wunderkind Trevor Powers is known for his beguiling bedroom pop, but he brings much greater energy to this set at Stubb's in Austin for NPR Music's SXSW showcase. Watch Youth Lagoon's complete set.

Youth Lagoon, Recorded Live At Stubb's

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Waxahatchee, Live In Concert

Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee performs at NPR Music's 2013 SXSW Showcase at Stubb's. Adam Kissick for NPR hide caption

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Adam Kissick for NPR

Front Row

Waxahatchee, Live In Concert

Playing her first set at SXSW for the NPR Music showcase, Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield amped up her fragile songs as the head of a killer power trio. Watch video of Waxahatchee's complete show.

Waxahatchee, Live In Concert

Listen · 25:48
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Wednesday

What To Expect At SXSW 2013

Twin Horns Of Joy? Members of the band The Bottom Dollars play on the street in Austin, Texas, during the opening night of the South by Southwest music festival. Adam Kissick for NPR hide caption

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Adam Kissick for NPR

All Songs Considered

What To Expect At SXSW 2013

The Austin, Texas-based festival is basically the only one in the country where every fan who attends can create his or her own perfect experience.

What To Expect At SXSW 2013

Listen · 5:33
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Sunday

First Listen: Low, 'The Invisible Way'

Low's new album, The Invisible Way, comes out March 19. Zoran Orlic/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Zoran Orlic/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Low, 'The Invisible Way'

Low's 10th full-length studio album was produced by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, who avoids any temptation to radically stretch the Minnesota band's boundaries. But he wisely dials up the interplay between its two singers, while letting bits of piano and spare percussive rumbles provide a jolt of portent.

Low, 'The Invisible Way'

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Wednesday

Josh Ritter In Concert

Josh Ritter performs The Beast in Its Tracks at Le Poisson Rouge. Ebru Yildiz for NPR hide caption

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Ebru Yildiz for NPR

Live in Concert

Josh Ritter In Concert

Ritter's album, The Beast in Its Tracks, is by any definition a breakup record; every song finds him picking through a relationship's wreckage. Watch him perform the album's songs live.

Josh Ritter In Concert (Audio Only)

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