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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

Thursday

Sunday

First Listen: Eleanor Friedberger, 'Personal Record'

Eleanor Friedberger's new album, Personal Record, comes out June 4. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Eleanor Friedberger, 'Personal Record'

As a solo artist, the Fiery Furnaces singer is the epitome of subtle, un-showy cool. On Personal Record, her palette expands to include a wider array of themes and perspectives, while she maintains a minimalist-cool sound that's sweet, simple and timeless.

Eleanor Friedberger, 'Personal Record'

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First Listen: Jon Hopkins, 'Immunity'

Jon Hopkins new album, Immunity, comes out June 4. Steve Gullick/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Steve Gullick/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Jon Hopkins, 'Immunity'

Immunity is intended to mirror the feel of a night out, and it captures both highs and lows. In Hopkins' living, breathing world of sound, beauty and beats are always free to commingle in ways that move, in every sense of the word.

Jon Hopkins, 'Immunity'

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Friday

Queens Of The Stone Age, Live In Concert

Queens Of The Stone Age live at The Wiltern on May 23. James Bailey for NPR hide caption

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James Bailey for NPR

Concerts

Queens Of The Stone Age, Live In Concert

QOTSA performed ...Like Clockwork in its entirety, plus an assortment of older material, in a sold-out show at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. Hear highlights from the evening.

Queens Of The Stone Age, Live In Concert

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Thursday

Sunday

First Listen: Laura Marling, 'Once I Was An Eagle'

Laura Marling's new album, Once I Was an Eagle, comes out May 28. Justin Tyler Close/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Justin Tyler Close/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Laura Marling, 'Once I Was An Eagle'

Marling's songs dig well beyond the everyday, with each sung in a wise, dusky, brooding voice that always seems in control of its surroundings. The U.K. folksinger's fourth album, Once I Was an Eagle, takes a remarkable journey over the course of 16 hypnotic, subtly inventive songs.

Laura Marling, 'Once I Was An Eagle'

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First Listen: Sean Nelson, 'Make Good Choices'

Sean Nelson's new album, Make Good Choices, comes out June 4. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen

First Listen: Sean Nelson, 'Make Good Choices'

Eight years after his last album with Harvey Danger, Nelson returns with a wonderfully catchy and quotable solo record. True to virtually every piece of music the singer-songwriter has ever written, Make Good Choices is fueled by a cocktail of quotability and charm.

Sean Nelson, 'Make Good Choices'

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Thursday

Sunday

First Listen: G&D, 'The Lighthouse'

Georgia Anne Muldrow and Dudley Perkins' new album as G&D, The Lighthouse, comes out May 21. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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First Listen

First Listen: G&D, 'The Lighthouse'

On The Lighthouse, Georgia Anne Muldrow and Dudley Perkins engineer an overstuffed, idea-packed collision of funk, soul, hip-hop, jazz, psychedelic space-rock, spoken-word poetry, protest music and more. Along the way, they examine innumerable intersections of love, politics, spirituality, healthy living, parenthood and world citizenship.

G&D, 'The Lighthouse'

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First Listen: The Handsome Family, 'Wilderness'

The Handsome Family's new album, Wilderness, comes out May 14. Jason Creps/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Jason Creps/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: The Handsome Family, 'Wilderness'

The duo returns with a concept album about wildlife, with an emphasis on nature's capacity for destruction. Animals may burrow in and out of each of these songs, but they're merely helping humanity forge a pathway to madness.

The Handsome Family, 'Wilderness'

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Thursday

Thursday

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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