Stephen Thompson

The Good Listener: For Music-Festival Rookies, A Survival Guide

Stephen Thompson — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:30:00 +0000

We get a lot of mail at NPR Music, and amid the American Girl catalogs we never ordered is a slew of smart questions about how music fits into our lives — and, this week, how first-time music-festival attendees can survive and thrive in an overwhelming setting.

Kendall Levinson writes: "Any advice for a young person going to his or her first music festival this summer?

The National: Tiny Desk Concert

Stephen Thompson — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:28:00 +0000
The first thing you might notice about this video is the change in surroundings: NPR recently moved to a new building, and though we worked to make the Tiny Desk as visually similar as possible to the old space — a process we recently documented with the help of OK Go — the ceilings are higher, the square footage more generous and the surfaces lavishly unsullied.

The Good Listener: How Do You Describe The Music You Love?

Stephen Thompson — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:03:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJyf5NqiMNE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXXc25vtuxk

The Good Listener: What's More Important, Lyrics Or Music?

Stephen Thompson — Thu, 30 May 2013 16:54:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wty8UYT6PGw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et_lDyRymrw

We Get Mail: What's A Modern Music Snob To Do?

Stephen Thompson — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:28:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrEJmvuKSwo

First Listen Live: Queens Of The Stone Age, '...Like Clockwork'

Stephen Thompson — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:20:00 +0000
Queens of the Stone Age's first album in six years follows an unusually chaotic stretch for the band: Lineup and label changes, frontman Josh Homme's lengthy stint in the hit supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, and what Homme calls "a manic year" all inform the brooding, stormy sound of ...Like Clockwork.

We Get Mail: Can You Build The Perfect Cover Song?

Stephen Thompson — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:28:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiH6Dtwz-aU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mQJaXwGPlg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8HOfcYWZoo

We Get Mail: How Can A Vinyl Lover Start Over From Scratch?

Stephen Thompson — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:30:00 +0000
We get a lot of mail at NPR Music, and amid the ironic promotional cassingles is a slew of smart questions about how music fits into our lives — and, this week, how a regretful fan of vinyl records can re-create her discarded collection.
Kirsten Elbourne Mathieson writes: "I'm big-time regretting getting rid of all of my record albums years ago. Any advice for someone starting from scratch with vinyl after all these years?

Cayucas: Sunlight In Song Form

Stephen Thompson — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:37:00 +0000
If you've ever been poolside on a hot day, you know what it's like to have your senses bombarded with leisure; to feel the sun radiating and shimmering off everything around you. Watch the first few moments of this Field Recording, with its bobbing inner tubes and lounging vacationers, and you can practically smell the spots where chlorine meets concrete. We filmed the band late one morning at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs — a setting that also produced an eager dancer, assorted rubberneckers and one particularly agreeable dog.

We Get Mail: What To Do When You've Burned Out On Your Favorite Music

Stephen Thompson — Thu, 02 May 2013 18:09:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MMXjunSx80
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBw777jRqbM