Accessibility links
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
Stories By

Stephen Thompson

Friday

Review

Song Of The Day

Iron And Wine: Springlike And Springy

Iron and Wine's "Belated Promise Ring" finds Sam Beam basking in the sweet spot between darkness and delicacy, turning the melancholy near-misses of a star-crossed couple into four almost impossibly dreamy and graceful minutes of pop music.

'Belated Promise Ring' by Iron and Wine

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/104435856/104432898" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Monday

Review

Song Of The Day

John Wesley Harding: Anthem Of An Also-Ran

Clever but not cloying, "Top of the Bottom" documents a pop singer's rise, rapid decline and resurrection to a more mundane new beginning. Harding tells a funny and gripping story about the margins of pop music, while providing a surprisingly convincing look at how and where dreams of stardom often end.

'Top of the Bottom' by John Wesley Harding

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/101611351/101611262" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Friday

Review

Song Of The Day

We Were Promised Jetpacks: Irritable Majesty

It doesn't take long for the Scottish band's misleadingly named "Quiet Little Voices" to get where it's going: There's little differentiating between the verses (such as they are) and the bombastic choruses, except that the latter explode into something almost impossibly thick, brash and over-the-top.

'Quiet Little Voices' by We Were Promised Jetpacks

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/104180391/104159505" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Thursday

Friday

Horse Feathers: Tiny Desk Concert
Michael Kleinfeld for NPR

Tiny Desk

Horse Feathers: Tiny Desk Concert

Sweet-voiced, bearded acoustic guitarists are not a rare commodity in the Pacific Northwest, which has spawned the likes of Fleet Foxes, though Justin Ringle may be the gentlest beard-wearer of them

Audio Only: Horse Feathers' Tiny Desk Concert

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/103904625/128693271" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Monday

Review

Song Of The Day

Feist And Ben Gibbard: Fringe Benefits

"Train Song" is exactly the sort of smart high-concept event that thrives on benefit CDs, complete with big names, a smartly chosen cover song and a simple arrangement. More to the point, it sounds terrific, with Feist's flair for dusky portent mixing perfectly with Ben Gibbard's moody, openhearted croon.

'Train Song' by Feist and Ben Gibbard

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/103528208/103525585" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Wednesday

Thursday

Review

Song Of The Day

Tracy Chapman: The Weary And The Innocent

Chapman's new album mixes low-key message songs with the relentlessly pleasant likes of "Sing for You." A slice of soothing nostalgia, complete with a "doo-doo-doo" chorus, the latter track finds the singer ruminating fondly on "a time when I used to sing for you."

'Sing for You' by Tracy Chapman

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/95781731/95736178" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Monday

Review

Song Of The Day

Ra Ra Riot: Poignant And Propulsive

"Dying Is Fine" swipes a line from an E.E. Cummings poem and repurposes it in a catchy chorus. The song has appeared on early Ra Ra Riot singles, but it sounds especially polished and lively here, thanks in part to its sleek production and the surprisingly subtle strings, which add melancholy shading and a jolt of rhythm.

'Dying Is Fine' by Ra Ra Riot

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/96500093/96496656" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Saturday

Friday

SXSW Music Festival

At SXSW, Worries Can Wait

A grim economy, with an even lousier forecast for the music industry, hasn't prevented more than 1,800 bands — and their potential fans — from flooding the clubs, bars and streets of Austin, Texas. It's all part of the 23rd annual South by Southwest music festival.

At SXSW, Worries Can Wait

Listen · 3:56
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/102144077/102154522" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

Review

Song Of The Day

Laura Gibson: Muted Beauty In The 'Shadows'

Opening amid feedback squalls, Gibson's "Shadows on Parade" quickly offsets the dissonance with harp-like strums on an acoustic guitar, setting the tone for a somber, dreamlike journey that drifts along gently while retaining its muted beauty.

'Shadows on Parade' by Laura Gibson

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/101970323/101868050" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Wednesday