Stephen Thompson : NPR

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.

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Stephen Thompson

Tuesday June 30, 2015

Glen Hansard. Danny Clinch/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Danny Clinch/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs TV

Glen Hansard, 'Winning Streak'

June 30, 2015 • Hear the first song (and watch a video) from the Frames and Swell Season veteran's new album, Didn't He Ramble, out Sept. 18.

Friday June 26, 2015

Kacey Musgraves Sings One For Marriage Equality

Kacey Musgraves ends her Tiny Desk Concert with "Follow Your Arrow" in honor of the same-sex marriage ruling. Lydia Thompson/NPR hide caption

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Lydia Thompson/NPR

All Songs TV

Kacey Musgraves Sings One For Marriage Equality

June 26, 2015 • The country singer performed a Tiny Desk Concert on the same day the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage. So she couldn't possibly pass up the chance to play "Follow Your Arrow."

Sunday June 14, 2015

Bully's new album, Feels Like, comes out June 23. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Review

First Listen

Review: Bully, 'Feels Like'

June 14, 2015 • Sweet and fizzy, barbed and aggressive, these are speeding-with-the-windows-down songs. But they also feel true to the life of the charismatic ball of nerves at their core.

Saturday June 13, 2015

Will We Remember Today's Pop Stars In 50 Years?

Will we remember Taylor Swift in 20 years? Well, we've already remembered her for at least nine... Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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All Songs Considered

Will We Remember Today's Pop Stars In 50 Years?

June 13, 2015 • It's one thing to achieve popularity; it's another thing to last.

Tuesday June 9, 2015

The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach Announces New Album With The Arcs

Dan Auerbach of The Arcs. Alysse Gafkjen/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Alysse Gafkjen/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach Announces New Album With The Arcs

June 9, 2015 • Auerbach's newest project is a collaboration with Richard Swift and others. Hear "Stay In My Corner," the first single from The Arcs' debut album, Yours, Dreamily.

Sunday June 7, 2015

Review: Walk Off The Earth, 'Sing It All Away'

Walk Off The Earth's new album, Sing It All Away, comes out June 16. Jiro Schneider/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Jiro Schneider/Courtesy of the artist

Review

First Listen

Review: Walk Off The Earth, 'Sing It All Away'

June 7, 2015 • The Canadian pop band's second album is an impeccable distillation of pop music in 2015: big and bright and cheerful, and expanded rather than confined by everything that came before it.

Tuesday June 2, 2015

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All Songs TV

First Watch: Metric, 'Cascades'

June 2, 2015 • A light show in song form, "Cascades" is engineered for the ecstatic intensity of the dance floor.

Saturday May 30, 2015

Why Do Amusement Parks Still Crank Songs From The '80s?

What's a ferris-wheel ride without the sweet sounds of REO Speedwagon? Uglinica/iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Uglinica/iStockphoto.com

All Songs Considered

Why Do Amusement Parks Still Crank Songs From The '80s?

May 30, 2015 • Everything changes — except theme-park playlists, where REO Speedwagon, Journey and Supertramp have never gone out of style. Why is that, exactly?

Friday May 29, 2015

Immerse Yourself In SOAK's Tender, Unsettled Debut Record

SOAK's debut album, Before We Forgot How To Dream, comes out June 2. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Music News

Immerse Yourself In SOAK's Tender, Unsettled Debut Record

May 29, 2015 • The first words Bridie Monds-Watson sings on her debut album double as a tidy thesis statement: "A teenage heart is an unguided dart." The Irish singer-songwriter records under the name SOAK.

Immerse Yourself In SOAK's Tender, Unsettled Debut Record

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Sunday May 24, 2015

Review: SOAK, 'Before We Forgot How To Dream'

SOAK's debut album, Before We Forgot How To Dream, comes out June 2. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Review

First Listen

Review: SOAK, 'Before We Forgot How To Dream'

May 24, 2015 • The Irish singer recorded her debut at 18, so it makes sense that it would chronicle youthful uncertainty. Throughout the album, her songs command attention by burrowing deep under the skin.

Friday May 22, 2015

For 'Mad Men' And Letterman, A Week Of Goodbyes

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Michael Yarish/AMC

Pop Culture Happy Hour

For 'Mad Men' And Letterman, A Week Of Goodbyes

May 22, 2015 • Mad Men just ended after seven seasons; David Letterman is done with late-night TV after 33. The gang discusses both farewells, both legacies, and What's Making Us Happy this week.

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Saturday May 16, 2015

Can I Deflate The Beach Balls At Concerts?

One letter-writer's nightmare scenario. Shaun Lowe/iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Shaun Lowe/iStockphoto.com

All Songs Considered

Can I Deflate The Beach Balls At Concerts?

May 16, 2015 • A reader who really hates beach balls at concerts wants to know her options.

Friday May 15, 2015

All Songs +1: How Music Can Really Save Your Life

May David Bowie, seen in this 1978 performance, bless and keep you. Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis hide caption

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All Songs Considered

All Songs +1: How Music Can Really Save Your Life

May 15, 2015 • For this week's All Songs +1 podcast, we talk with NPR Music's Stephen Thompson about his most recent "Good Listener" column on the life-saving powers of music.

All Songs +1: How Music Can Save Your Life

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