Stephen Thompson

In the chorus to Chelsea Light Moving's "Heavenmetal," Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore offers a moment of uplift to set the tone for his new band's self-titled debut: "Be a warrior — love life." But from there, Moore and his new bandmates set out to pulverize and polarize.

Even ...

As one of the most thoughtful singer-songwriters around, Josh Ritter isn't one to write angry, over-the-top, knee-jerk breakup songs — even though his new album, The Beast in Its Tracks, was written entirely in response to his own recent divorce. Gentility and empathy are wired into Ritter's songwriting, so ...

NPR's Stephen Thompson explains why, for a football fan, the endless spectacle of the NFL Draft is one of the greatest weekends of the year.