Stephen Thompson

The 59th Annual Grammy Awards are tonight. NPR Music editor Stephen Thompson gives us a preview of what to expect.

If Sturgill Simpson wins Album Of The Year this weekend, it'll be surprising — but not shocking.

Son Volt has always deserved more attention than it's gotten, and the band's eighth album provides a lean and sturdy showcase for Jay Farrar's eternally weary but undiminished voice.

Watch the puppets sport eyeliner and sing a song called "I Am Sad And So Am I."

Tamsin Wilson's moody, calmly woozy voice would sound amazing in just about any genre or context.

Hoop's songs burst with ideas: They're as strange and smart and heartfelt as they are gorgeous. Memories Are Now further showcases her enviable capacity to surprise.

The U.K. singer-songwriter is set to return with his self-titled 21st album, his most rambunctious record in years. Hear "I Want To Tell You About What I Want."

For a guy who once sang, "I need time to stop moving / I need time to stay useless," Cloud Nothings' Dylan Baldi sure has found a way to infuse his songs with vitality and ambition.

For the 10th straight year, NPR Music is heading to Austin in search of discoveries.

Just in time for Friday's inauguration, Arcade Fire and Mavis Staples team up to deliver a message for all elected officials: "I give you power / I can take it away."

After Celebration Rock fixated on staying young and feeling raw, the Vancouver duo's new album re-envisions youth as a passageway to a new and better place.

That didn't take long. Five months after Ruminations, the Bright Eyes singer will return with a companion piece called Salutations: a full-band version of the album, plus seven extra songs.

The long-running band returns with its ninth album, Hot Thoughts, on March 17. Hear the title track.

The 22-year-old singer-songwriter has a voice powerful enough to command any stage, but with intimate phrasing that cries out for late-night drives and walks under headphones. Hear "Smoke Signals."

On its new album, the U.K. trio departs from the suffocating sparseness of its first two albums. But The xx hasn't sacrificed its flair for intimacy.

One of 2017's first great songs, "Restless" finds dreamy analog synths blending perfectly with Bonar's relentlessly pleasing voice.

Finn, who's sung in The Hold Steady and Lifter Puller, has a new record called We All Want The Same Things, due out March 24.

We dive into the hit show starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, then celebrate Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, George Michael and others. And, as always, What's Making Us Happy this week.

Ellis Ludwig-Leone's chamber-folk project is set to release its third album, Belong. "Open" finds Charlene Kaye singing beautifully about coming to terms with self-awareness and desire.

NPR Music editor and reviewer Stephen Thompson recommends new songs by Sinkane, Little Simz, Japandroids and more.