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 August 25, 2009

Review

Song Of The Day

Volcano Choir: Angels And Experiments

August 25, 2009 • More choral than volcanic, Volcano Choir finds the Milwaukee-based experimental band Collections of Colonies of Bees collaborating with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. Of all the lovely strangeness on its debut album, Unmap, its songs are never sweeter than the album-closing "Youlogy."

'Youlogy' by Volcano Choir

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Wednesday August 19, 2009

Rose Melberg: A Grand Chorus Of Whispers

In "Old Days," Rose Melberg conveys hope and want in just four words: "Oh, love, take hold." Sarah Cass hide caption

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Sarah Cass

Song Of The Day

Rose Melberg: A Grand Chorus Of Whispers

August 19, 2009 • Rose Melberg's music seems to get softer with each passing year — and that's saying something, given that she used to be in a band called The Softies. On Melberg's fine new album, Homemade Ship, her arrangements are stripped down further than ever.

'Old Days' by Rose Melberg

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Friday August 14, 2009

Review

Song Of The Day

David Mead: Warm And Bittersweet

August 14, 2009 • In "Last Train Home," Mead paints a simple but ambivalent portrait of a late-night train ride in which fleeting companionship is unmistakably intertwined with loneliness. The bright, piano-infused arrangement nicely balances out his melancholy words, as he basks in fresh memories while remaining aware that they've already receded into the past.

'Last Train Home' by David Mead

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Monday August 10, 2009

Coburn Dukehart/NPR

Tiny Desk

The Swell Season: Tiny Desk Concert

August 10, 2009 • For those who can't wait to hear songs from Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova's follow-up to Once, the pair played six new songs before performing the first-ever Tiny Desk Concert encore.

The Swell Season: Tiny Desk Concert (Audio Only)

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Monday July 27, 2009

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Frannie Kelley/NPR

Tiny Desk

Sarah Siskind: Tiny Desk Concert

July 27, 2009 • In this charming performance at the NPR Music offices, Siskind performs two of the highlights from Say It Louder before closing with a requested "Lovin's for Fools."

Review

Song Of The Day

Bat For Lashes: Beauty Atop Beauty

July 27, 2009 • Within the first 25 seconds of "Moon and Moon," Bat for Lashes' Natasha Khan drops the line, "I'm a huntress for a husband lost at sea," revealing both a stark seriousness and a penchant for lyrical flights of fancy. But then, within the song's first five seconds, Khan had already uncorked a mesmerizing minor-key piano melody, so it was already clear that she's not messing around.

'Moon and Moon' by Bat for Lashes

Audio is no longer available

Sunday July 26, 2009

All Songs Considered

Faces Of Joy: The Gaslight Anthem

July 26, 2009 • I've spent a good chunk of this summer kicking myself for discovering The Gaslight Anthem nearly a full year after its tremendous album The '59 Sound came out. The group channels the best attributes of its most obvious influence, Bruce Springsteen...

Wednesday July 22, 2009

Review

Song Of The Day

Regina Spektor: When Every Sound Sings

July 22, 2009 • Spektor possesses unmistakable warmth and a pronounced sunny side to go with her impeccable phrasing, which finds her crafting and subtly bending every note, whether she's pining for faded memories or honking like a dolphin. She opts for the former over the latter in the marvelous "Eet."

'Eet' by Regina Spektor

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Monday July 13, 2009

Tiny Desk

Bill Callahan: Tiny Desk Concert

July 13, 2009 • Hear and watch Callahan perform at the NPR Music offices.

Audio Only: Bill Callahan's Tiny Desk Concert

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Tuesday July 7, 2009

It's Time To Party: Summer Songs

Party Of One: Misery Alienates Company

July 7, 2009 • Tonight and every night, hordes of keg-tapping sex-havers are congregating. Tonight and every night, you were not invited. What you and your poor, pockmarked soul need is a soundtrack — five songs to ensure that you and your stuffed animals will have a night to remember.

Thursday July 2, 2009

Review

Song Of The Day

Eels: A World Of Futile Yearning

July 2, 2009 • Mark Oliver Everett's dusky croon radiates futile yearning in "In My Dreams," which finds our hero praising a perfect love. Everett does a tremendous job of infusing his every word with doubt, disappointment and unrequited desire.

'In My Dreams' by Eels

Audio is no longer available

Monday June 29, 2009

NPR

Tiny Desk

Maria Taylor: Tiny Desk Concert

June 29, 2009 • It's clear from this Tiny Desk Concert that Maria Taylor has never made a go of it as a busker: In terms of volume, she's closer to a whisper than a scream. But hers is a wonderfully warm presence.

Tuesday June 23, 2009

Review

Song Of The Day

The Gaslight Anthem: A Morbid Summer Jam

June 23, 2009 • There's no shortage of life, death or profundity in "The '59 Sound," a mile-wide, top-down, hook-laden beast of a summer anthem. But as swollen and adrenaline-infused as it is, it's really a song about the last music each of us gets to hear in our lives.

'The '59 Sound' by The Gaslight Anthem

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Monday June 22, 2009

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Frannie Kelley/NPR

Tiny Desk

The Avett Brothers: Tiny Desk Concert

June 22, 2009 • If The Avett Brothers could put on a three-song acoustic concert at every workplace in America, the band would be a world-beating colossus.

Audio Only: The Avett Brothers' Tiny Desk Concert

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Wednesday June 17, 2009

It's Time To Party: Summer Songs

Hammock Jams: Party In Your Backyard

June 17, 2009 • The next time you gather up close friends (or, better yet, load yourself into a hammock with a loved one while keeping a pitcher of iced tea within arm's reach), let these five songs set the tone. Each exudes some form of contentment, whether in the form of a well-placed string section or words that set a happy scene.