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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: Tame Impala, 'Lonerism'

Tame Impala's new album, Lonerism, comes out Oct. 9. Maciek Pozoga/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Maciek Pozoga/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Tame Impala, 'Lonerism'

Not a collection of psychedelic freakouts so much as a collection of controlled psychedelic slow-burns, Lonerism makes alienation and introversion sound both alluring and, ironically, inviting.

Hear 'Lonerism' In Its Entirety

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First Listen: Lord Huron, 'Lonesome Dreams'

Lord Huron's new album, Lonesome Dreams, comes out Oct. 9. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Lord Huron, 'Lonesome Dreams'

Lonesome Dreams comes along at just the right time of year, meeting as it does between the beachy lightness of summer and the bittersweet plaintiveness of autumn. It straddles the seasons with disarming deftness — sunny enough to distract, sweet enough to comfort.

Lord Huron, 'Lonesome Dreams'

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First Listen: Freelance Whales, 'Diluvia'

Freelance Whales' new album, Diluvia, comes out Oct. 9. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Freelance Whales, 'Diluvia'

Diluvia's songs practically glow with multi-part vocal harmonies, banjos, strings, horns and other mad manmade clatter. Even the synthesizers sound warm, loose and light.

Freelance Whales, 'Diluvia'

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Thursday

Sunday

First Listen: Beth Orton, 'Sugaring Season'

Beth Orton's new album, Sugaring Season, comes out Oct. 2. Jo Metson Scott/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Jo Metson Scott/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Beth Orton, 'Sugaring Season'

Orton's sixth album eschews electric instrumentation, instead recasting its star as a modern practitioner of classic English folk a la Pentangle. Ornate but not wispy, these songs aren't merely pretty; they also convey power that builds subtly.

Beth Orton, 'Sugaring Season'

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Wednesday

Tuesday

Sunday

First Listen: Efterklang, 'Piramida'

Efterklang's new album, Piramida, comes out Sept. 25. Rasmus Weng Karlsen/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Rasmus Weng Karlsen/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Efterklang, 'Piramida'

The Danish band explores a lost world, literally, and captures its sounds in the pursuit of graceful prettiness. Piramida is sculpted to maximize its beauty, and Efterklang draws from the biggest toolkit imaginable.

Efterklang, 'Piramida'

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First Listen: Sera Cahoone, 'Deer Creek Canyon'

Sera Cahoone's new album, Deer Creek Canyon, comes out Sept. 25. Hilary Harris/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Hilary Harris/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Sera Cahoone, 'Deer Creek Canyon'

Like the two tremendous and mystifyingly little-heard albums that precede it, Deer Creek Canyon adds up to one long, calm, welcome pep talk — a perfectly warm and warming supplement to hot cider on a chilly fall day.

Sera Cahoone, 'Deer Creek Canyon'

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Tuesday

Monday

Sunday

First Listen: Grizzly Bear, 'Shields'

Grizzly Bear's new album, Shields, comes out Sept. 18. Barbara Anastacio/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Barbara Anastacio/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Grizzly Bear, 'Shields'

The band's fourth album rewards listeners with strange surprises and a few hooky, expansive ringers. Along the way, it showcases the considerable gifts of four guys willing to hover patiently through the detours, without sacrificing the beauty that makes the journey worthwhile.

Grizzly Bear's 'Shields'

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First Listen: Aimee Mann, 'Charmer'

Aimee Mann's new album, Charmer, comes out Sept. 18. Sheryl Nields/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Sheryl Nields/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Aimee Mann, 'Charmer'

Mann has never been a mere bummer, and her eighth solo record unfurls with a springy zinginess that makes it hard to resist. Charmer is the work of a sharp, confident veteran who's never strayed far from the top of her game.

Hear 'Charmer' In Its Entirety

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First Listen: Dinosaur Jr., 'I Bet On Sky'

Dinosaur Jr.'s new album, I Bet On Sky, comes out Sept. 18. Brantley Guiterrez/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Brantley Guiterrez/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Dinosaur Jr., 'I Bet On Sky'

I Bet on Sky, Dinosaur Jr.'s 10th studio album, knows where its strengths lie: namely, in volume, particularly when J Mascis lets his guitars speak and shout on his behalf.

Hear 'I Bet On Sky' In Its Entirety

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Friday

Pop Culture Happy Hour: How Long Is Too Long?
NPR

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour: How Long Is Too Long?

What tipping points transform various forms of entertainment from "long enough" to "too long"? The gang bounces ideas around, then takes a quiz and expounds on all things happy-making.

Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour

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