Extended Play

Sure, she won the Grammy for Best Album AND for Best Country Album with "Golden Hour," but Kacey Musgraves' last couple of albums haven't been as nearly "country" as many expected them to be. Is "Middle of Nowhere" a return to form, or is it so over-the-top "country" that it rings false? We'll give you our thoughts, count down our Top 10 side projects, and along the way build a five-song playlist that'll renew your passion for music.

What did you think of "Middle of Nowhere?" What are some of your favorite side projects? Let us know in the comments!

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Our co-hosts VASTLY different opinions about Foo Fighters inspired a perhaps long-overdue revision of our rating scale. Just how do you rank an album that's probably a catalogue highlight for diehard fans but almost completely ignorable for anyone else? Find out in this week's episode. Along the way, we build a five-song playlist to renew your passion for music.What do you think of "Your Favorite Toy" by Foo Fighters? What do you think of the new rating scale? What album should we review next? Let us know in the comments.

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We've known about Dream Theater for years, particularly in terms of their reputation for being incredibly adept musicians. So do musical chops = entertaining music? Well, we were certainly entertained, but maybe not for the right reasons. Plus, cohost E recaps his experience hunting down vinyl at Record Store Day 2026. Along the way, we build a five-song playlist to renew your passion for music.What do you think of "Octavarium" by Dream Theater? What records did you pick up at Record Store Day this year. What album should we review next? Let us know in the comments.

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Since our hosts both fell in love with Turnstile in the past few years, we thought it was time to go back to the origins of hardcore and see what we've missed. We're starting with Black Flag's "Damaged" from 1981(!) This album's influence is undeniable, but does it hold up in 2026? Plus, new albums from Morrissey and Ye have us revisiting the age-old debate of what to do when your favorite artists seem to be awful humans. Along the way, we build a five-song playlist to renew your passion for music.

What do you think of "Damaged" by Black Flag? Can you separate the art from the artist? What album should we review next? Let us know in the comments. 

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A new Robyn album is always cause for celebration, and this week we check out her latest - "Sexistentialism." We should've picked up from the album title and cover that we were in for an extremely horny album, but somehow we were still surprised just *how* horny it was - which definitely says more about us than Robyn. We'll let you know who should check this album out, count down ten artists we want to see live before they/we kick the bucket, and along the way create a playlist of five songs to renew your passion for music.

What do you think of "Sexistentialism" by Robyn? What concerts are on your bucket list? What album should we review next? Let us know in the comments.

• Korn's "Blind" as baseball entrance music
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If you're anywhere near as obsessive about music as we are, Angine de Poitrine's KEXP performance has been inescapable these past few weeks. So is this just weird prog rock for music nerds or a real blow against the looming threat of AI on music? We dig into their latest album, count down ten weird songs by "normal" bands, and along the way create a playlist of five songs to renew your passion for music. This one is a long one, so buckle up!

What do you think of "Volume II" by Angine de Poitrine? What are some other weird songs "normal" bands? What album should we review next? Let us know in the comments.

• Watch the viral KEXP performance
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Fiona Apple has such a unique career arc. Following huge mainstream success with her debut album to creating genre-defying critical masterpieces, she's got the respect of the public and the critics locked. Maybe it's time we actually give her our undivided attention? 😏 We listen to "The Idler Wheel..." for the first time, count down the Top 10 songs by Canadians, and, as always, give you a five-song playlist to renew your passion for music.

What do you think about "The Idler Wheel?" What are your favorite songs by Canadians? What album should we listen to next? Let us know in the comments!

• Listen to the Extended Playlist (Spotify, YouTube)
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It's been a minute since either of us have listened to a capital-C Country album. Was this the right choice? We dig into Willie Nelson's classic "Red Headed Stranger" blindly and end up with mixed thoughts. Who found it haunting and romantic? Who was bored? Check out the episode and find out. We also count down 10 songs that crack us up, and, as always, give you a five-song playlist to renew your passion for music.What do you think about "Red Headed Stranger?" What songs make you laugh, whether intentionally or not? What album should we listen to next? Let us know in the comments!

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We're back with another first listen to an album - an artist - that we should've probably listened to already. This week it's Gojira's "From Mars to Sirius." Is it possible that this album is too metal even for us?! Or do we just not get it? Plus, we count down our 10 favorite songs to drive to, and, as always, give you a five-song playlist to renew your passion for music.

What do you think about "From Mars to Sirius?" What are you favorite songs to drive to? What album should we listen to next? Let us know in the comments!

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Two white dudes sit in a basement and talk about R&B. No, it's not the setup for an off-color joke, it's actually what you'll see on this week's edition of Extended Play. We went digging in the crate to listen to album we completely missed the first time around and found "Channel Orange" by Frank Ocean. Are we R&B converts? Maybe! We also count down our 10 favorite songs to fall asleep to, and, as always, give you a five-song playlist to renew your passion for music.

What do you think about "Channel Orange?" What are you favorite songs to fall asleep to? Let us know in the comments!

• Listen to the Extended Playlist (Spotify, YouTube)
• Like/follow/subscribe to Extended Play
• Join the Extended Family on Patreon for even more playlists