This week, it's an episode of Driving With Kumar as guests Dave Olson and Phil Stacey join me to discuss whether the album is an endangered species. I've also got music from Speedy Ortiz, Dead Stars and Parquet Courts.

Show notes:

- Recorded on the way to Fenway Park

- A BBC radio exec proclaimed the album is about to be extinct

- "Playlists are the future"

- Phil: Listen to a lot of albums by new or unfamiliar artists on Spotify

- Much different listening experience when we were kids

- Dave: Worked in restaurants as a kid and brought mix tapes to listen to

- Albums brought more lasting satisfaction

- Phil: Song order is interesting

- Sometimes an album only has 1 or 2 good songs

- Deep cuts

- Hunting for B-sides

- Digging through back catalog

- The vagaries of bubblegum pop

- Kids don't listen to albums as much anymore

- Phil likes the jam bands

- Commercial radio is in rough shape

- Music sales are a fraction of what they once were 20+ years ago

- The power of licensed music in movies and TV

- MTV used to be a huge music influencer

- The vinyl resurgence

- Mixes or playlists can have interesting choices

- Offending people with mixtape selections

Music:

Speedy Ortiz - Bigger Party

Dead Stars - Wasted

Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The Speedy Ortiz song is part of the Adult Swim Singles Series. Download the song for free at Adult Swim.

The Dead Stars song is on the album Slumber on Old Flame Records. Download the song for free at KEXP.

The Parquet Courts song is on the album Sunbathing Animal on What's Your Rupture? Download the song for free at KEXP. The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog Clicky Clicky. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.