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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: Mikal Cronin, 'MCII'

Mikal Cronin's new album, MCII, comes out May 7. Denee Petracek/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Denee Petracek/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Mikal Cronin, 'MCII'

On his second album, the perfectionist and multi-instrumentalist applies a beachy sparkle to 37 minutes of fresh, fun rock 'n' roll. The result feels like the work of a young artist who's both newly grown-up and still growing.

Mikal Cronin, 'MCII'

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First Listen: She & Him, 'Volume 3'

She & Him's new album, Volume 3, comes out May 7. Autumn de Wilde/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Autumn de Wilde/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: She & Him, 'Volume 3'

Playful, soft, sunnily melancholy and springlike, Zooey Deschanel's songs with M. Ward once again subsist on the strength of their own agreeability. Timelessness has long been key to the duo's charm, and indeed, Volume 3 seems to be floating through AM speakers at all times.

She & Him, "Volume 3"

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Thursday

Wednesday

Jittery Jams: 10 Songs For Coffee Lovers

Frank Sinatra's "The Coffee Song" makes light of a perceived Brazilian coffee glut. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption

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Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Music

Jittery Jams: 10 Songs For Coffee Lovers

With the Beastie Boys taking their "sugar with coffee and cream," Carly Simon finding "clouds in my coffee," and countless singers using black coffee as a metaphor for a life in need of a swift kick, it was actually tough to narrow a caffeinated playlist down to just 10 selections.

Jittery Jams: 10 Songs For Coffee Lovers

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Sunday

First Listen: Colin Stetson, 'New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light'

Colin Stetson's new album, New History Warfare, Vol. 3: To See More Light, comes out April 30. Brantley Gutierrez/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Brantley Gutierrez/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Colin Stetson, 'New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light'

The saxophonist infuses his solo records with an unsettling rumble, while still making room for alternately grandiose and guttural moments that awe and unnerve. His new album features vocal contributions from Bon Iver's Justin Vernon.

Colin Stetson, 'New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light'

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First Listen: Deerhunter, 'Monomania'

Deerhunter's new album, Monomania, comes out May 7. Robert Semmer/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Robert Semmer/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Deerhunter, 'Monomania'

Monomania has a dirtier, wirier, less fussed-over feel than the band has cultivated in recent years. The band's fifth album captures Bradford Cox's gift for self-laceration and unpredictability, but it moves in a less studio-bound direction, closer to the raw and unhinged spirit of his live shows.

Deerhunter, 'Monomania'

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Thursday

Monday

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Live In Concert

Nick Cave performs at Stubb's Bar-B-Q as part of NPR Music's 2013 SXSW Showcase. Adam Kissick for NPR hide caption

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Adam Kissick for NPR

Live in Concert

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Live In Concert

Sinewy and powerful as ever, and backed by his longtime band, Nick Cave works the crowd like a revival preacher at half-speed during a career-spanning set at NPR Music's SXSW showcase in Austin.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Recorded Live At Stubb's

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Sunday

First Listen: Laura Mvula, 'Sing To The Moon'

Laura Mvula's debut album, Sing to the Moon, comes out April 16. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Laura Mvula, 'Sing To The Moon'

Mvula's mix of classic soul and modern breeziness can be difficult to locate on a calendar, let alone a map. Classically trained and only 26, she writes songs that sound like the whole world at once.

Laura Mvula, 'Sing To The Moon'

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First Listen: Steve Martin And Edie Brickell, 'Love Has Come For You'

Steve Martin and Edie Brickell's first album together, Love Has Come for You, comes out April 23. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen

First Listen: Steve Martin And Edie Brickell, 'Love Has Come For You'

With assists from fellow stars such as Esperanza Spalding and Sara and Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek, Martin's banjo lines sing and sway with grace and charm that seem effortless. Edie Brickell's plainspoken warmth pairs wonderfully with Martin's playful picking throughout.

Steve Martin & Edie Brickell, 'Love Has Come For You'

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First Listen: Mother Falcon, 'You Knew'

Mother Falcon's new album, You Knew, comes out May 7. Bryan Rindfuss/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Bryan Rindfuss/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Mother Falcon, 'You Knew'

Formed as a free-wheeling, 15- to 20-piece side project for a group of orchestra students, Mother Falcon crafts a sound that soars with the grandiosity of Arcade Fire at its most anthemic. Its second album, You Knew, captures the hugeness of a band that can't fit on many of the stages it plays.

Mother Falcon, 'You Knew'

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Thursday

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Live In Concert

The New York trio performed their new single "Sacrilege" for the first time in front of an audience. Adam Kissick/for NPR hide caption

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Adam Kissick/for NPR

Live in Concert

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Live In Concert

Karen O, Nick Zinner and Brian Chase's performance at NPR Music's SXSW showcase was the band's only appearance at this year's festival.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Live In Concert

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Monday

Sunday

First Listen: The Shouting Matches, 'Grownass Man'

The Shouting Matches' debut album, Grownass Man, comes out April 9. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: The Shouting Matches, 'Grownass Man'

Bon Iver's Justin Vernon leads a loose, Tom Petty-esque blues-rock trio with an ear for beauty. But this isn't the stuff of mystery or misery; it's the work of a guy who loves playing music and saw an opportunity to have a blast on the side with friends he's joined on stage whenever possible.

The Shouting Matches, 'Grownass Man'

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