The Best Finds of August 2021
The Mastercast
10/10/21
•14m
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Transcript:
Hey pod lovers. If you’re joining us for the first time, welcome! The Mastercast is a podcast recommendation show that consists of seven non-spoiler, binge-worthy reviews of the best podcasts in a short and sweet two- to three-minute summary on everything you could want to know, from the number of hosts to on average how long you can expect each episode to be. For more details and more reviews, I highly recommend checking out the first three episodes. We have some lengthy reviews which I’m sure you know by now means I was very excited about these podcasts, so let’s get started.
"Surprisingly Brilliant"
"Surprisingly Brilliant is about science history, covering the hidden stories and unsung heroes of some of the greatest accomplishments of science. For iHeartRadio and Seeker, passionate hosts and writers Maren Hunsberger and Greg Foot take turns telling each other the origins of fascinating scientific ideas from all disciplines of science in a way that is not only easy to understand but jaw-droppingly entertaining.
You don’t have to have a background in science or have had gotten top marks in school to enjoy the topics. The detail in each hour-long episode is made greater by an esteemed guest from the field who helps tell the story lost to history books. It’s so nice to hear a show coming from people who genuinely love science and have a dynamic that makes them sound like they grew up friends.
Apple Podcasts has an average of 4.5 stars, 365 ratings and 80 written reviews. The 2020 show has two seasons so far and a total of 30 episodes, and Hunsberger confirmed via Twitter the show's third season is in the works.
When releasing, episodes usually come out on Fridays. The most popular episodes according to OwlTail are "The Puzzle Beneath Your Feet" and "The Electronic Ear." I LOVED the electronic ear episode also. As a huge fan of audio, I thought it was fascinating to hear about implants and the preferred terms and language associated with them. I think it’s so important to make the medium of podcasting more accessible.
Music is subtle and comes in and out at important parts of the story. The commercial amount is average. I can’t express how much I’ve enjoyed the show. I can’t wait for season three to come out. If you’ve been a fan of Hunsberger ’s YouTube, Seeker or "Science in General," this podcast is a must-listen.
Similar Pods: "Short Wave," "SideDoor," "99% Invisible" and "Ologies"
"No Strings Attached"
It’s April 5, 2015, and Vicky Cilliers, an army captain, loving wife and mother goes to jump out of an airplane like she has so many times before. The experienced freefall instructor has completed 2,600 jumps safely, but on this Easter Sunday her parachutes have been tampered with causing them to fail. Will she survive the 4,000-foot fall? What looks like an accident leads detectives to uncover a story of infidelity, debt and manipulation when Cilliers’ picture-perfect life turns out to be not what it seems.
From ITV News and hosted by Rob Murphy, "No Strings Attached, the 2020 podcast has 4.8 stars from Apple Podcast, 17 ratings and only 2 written reviews. The hidden gem is completed with eight episodes total that average about 32 minutes in length. Each contains interviews from those involved with the case as well as insight into how the British legal system differs from the American system.
Extra video content can be found on their website. No commercials and minimal music.
Trigger warnings for abuse and violence.
Similar podcasts: "Conning the Con," "The Sure Thing" and "Culpable"
"I Spy"
"I Spy" offers an amazing inside peek into the world of espionage and intelligence agency operations. It’s produced by Foreign Policy, the makers of the news magazine and website by the same name.
Each half-hour well-produced episode is a first-person account of a specific event they were involved in, and the subject is something completely original. What other podcast has behind-the-scenes access to secret missions? It’s hosted by Margo Martindale who plays a very minimal role, doing only the intro and outro. The interview questions seem to be edited out, resulting in the guest telling...
Previous Episode
The Best Finds of July 2021
August 9, 2021
•13m
Intro:
Hey Pod lovers. If you’re joining us for the first time: Welcome! The Mastercast is a podcast recommendation show that consists of 7 non-spoiler binge-worthy reviews of the best podcasts in a short and sweet 2-3 minute summary on everything you could want to know, from the number of hosts to on average how long you can expect each episode to be. For more details and more reviews, I recommend checking out Episode One.
Reviews:
Just The Zoo of Us - No Spoilers!
This is one of my new favorite podcasts. This educational show is all about listening in as couple Christian and Ellen Weatherford review a different animal every episode. The show has a solid five stars on Apple Podcasts, with 67 ratings, and 38 written reviews and starts with each of them weigh the animal on a rating out of 10 on effectiveness, ingenuity, and aesthetics. The disclaimer at the beginning of the show lets you know they aren't animal professionals, but enthusiasts who hold the research of each animal as the most important aspect of the show. I think that is why their hilarious cute dynamic is so unexpectedly charming. I never would have thought this adorable couple from Jacksonville, Florida would become literally my favorite couple of any media. Their knowledge and love for nerdy things like anime and dnd is something I hadn't seen in a podcast that wasn't specifically about those topics. If you listen to the show in order you will pick up on some subtle mentions of their private life. It starts with just the two of them, follows in their pregnancy, and then welcomes baby Finley into the world! I adore baby Finley who can occasionally be heard cooing in the background of some episodes. That is not all they are, either! Besides being well-researched, cute, and funny they also have good radio voices and production quality. The podcast is made knowing you might listen with little ones, so it does not contain profanity. The episodes do sometimes mention things like reproduction and predatory habits. I really like how (maybe because they are not experts) the language they use is super accessible and easily understood. That way I'm not lost in all the technical terms. Their website is well done and includes transcripts, coloring pages, and a message/animal submission/guest form. The couple is super active on Twitter and also has this email you can use to contact them. So far, the show has 91 episodes, all about an hour in length and new ones come out weekly usually at the end of the week. They also have experts come in, usually on a biweekly basis to have a deeper conversation about that week’s animal. Expert guest episodes became the most common when the couple took a short break to spend with newly arrived baby Finley. Episodes can be found on all major platforms. The most popular episodes according to Owltail are 3: Praying Mantis & Giant Panda and 7: Asian Elephant & Immortal Jellyfish. My favorites were 70: American Bison & Giraffe-Necked Weevil and 1: American Alligator & Florida Manatee. Music is really well chosen and credited at the end of every episode. The show covers a ton of animals I never thought I would want to know anything about but hearing these two talk about them as if they were the coolest thing that is ever existed changed my mind. And I think it could do the same for you.
Similar Pods: The Wild Episode, Herpetological Highlights, and Nature Guys
Searching for Rachel Antonio:
This Australian podcast drops you into a Queensland family’s search for answers in their daughter’s 18-year-old cold case. Rachel disappeared after being dropped off at the movies. She was never seen again leaving her family with more questions than leads. They contacted David Murray, an investigative journalist working with The Courier-Mail in hopes the case will be given new attention or maybe even that developments would be made. This podcast is short and sweet but with the expected lengthy news recap and preview at either end of an episode (but it was only information). 6 episodes about 31 minutes apiece. I was surprised to see this podcast didn’t have as many listens or reviews as I expected.
Similar Podcasts: Blue Siren’s Police Tape, Unravel True Crime, and Australian True Crime
Dressed:
This educational podcast talks about the history of fashion in the streamlined inviting tone I’ve grown accustomed to from YouTube and “Stuff You Should Know”. It really does an amazing job at looking at fashion through different lenses such as art, history, politics, function and so much more. The hosts really know their stuff as well with both having master’s degrees in fashion studies. While I could have sworn one of the hosts was from “Stuff You Missed in History Class”, all my research seems to point to that not being the case. The shows are intertwined though with the origins of the show coming after an appearance April made on SYMIHC. Here’s a pretty detailed ...
Next Episode
The Best Finds of September 2021
December 6, 2021
•13m
Transcript:
Hey Pod lovers, if you’re joining us for the first time, Welcome! The Mastercast is a podcast recommendation show that consists of seven non-spoiler, binge-worthy reviews of the best podcasts in a short and sweet two-to-three minute summary on everything you could want to know, from the number of hosts to on average how long you can expect each episode to be. For more details and more reviews, I highly recommend checking out the first four episodes. We have some lengthy reviews, which means I was very excited about these podcasts, so let’s get started.
"Your Brain on Facts"
Trivia nerds rejoice! "Your Brain on Facts" is an educational podcast about facts and the stories behind them. Host Moxie LaBouche, covers a wide range of well-researched topics with perfect delivery that hooks you in every time. Subjects covered in the past have included music, history, parties and so much more.
The writing and production are phenomenal. It’s well-structured and informational with no small talk. Despite this, there is a fair bit of comedy in how the stories are told.
While many people have credited the show with getting them into podcasts, LaBouche is also known for her amazing radio voice and does voice-over work as well. At first, I found her perfect radio voice a little too calming for work, but the facts are too interesting to make it a sleep podcast. Even the commercials are entertaining, and on a more important note, at a leveled volume.
She also has a book out similar to the podcast worth checking out. Apple Podcasts has 4.7 out of 5 stars and 133 ratings. So far the show has 202 episodes all about half an hour long with new ones coming out weekly on Fridays.
Some of my favorite episodes so far have been “We Can't Have Nice Things: Art & Antiquities Edition'' and “Project Pigeon and Acoustic Kitty” (trigger for violence against animals). OwlTail’s most popular according to listens are “Meeting New Peoples'' and “hiStory.”
The music is brief, as are commercials. The pod also has a great website with all of the episodes, scripts and sources. As a long-time listener, I highly recommend the show. Facts truly don’t get much better than this.
Similar Pods: "Damn Interesting," "Historical Blindness" and "The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong"
"Patient Zero"
"Patient Zero" produced by New Hampshire Public Radio is a deep dive look at Lyme disease; its history, origins, but also the precariousness that comes with the diagnosis. Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness that causes symptoms such as fever, headache, fatigue, skin rash and, when left untreated, heart, nerve and joint issues.
I didn’t know there could be so much controversy around a disease. I thought that in the medical profession there were knowns and unknowns, but it makes sense there are things up for debate. This podcast confronts this and so much more, like misinformation of this understudied illness.
No matter what you’re into, this podcast touches it a bit. It listens like true crime, but instead of crooks, the offenders are bacteria. That being said, I don’t think the show is gross when it comes to the medical details at all.
The eight-part series has three really great bonus episodes, but they should all be listened to in order. It’s chock-full of compelling reporting and solid production quality, which comes as no surprise seeing as it came from the same team that produced "Bear Brook."
Host and reporter Taylor Quimby is also a senior producer for NHPR’s widely popular "Outside/In" podcast and comes to "Patient Zero" with personal experience. In 2017, Quimby had his own confrontation with the infection, which he speaks about lightly throughout the pod. The search for answers about the condition was a major motivation for the show.
Apple podcasts has 4.1 stars and 1,300 ratings. It was also named one of the best listens of 2019 by the same. The average episode length is 33 minutes, and the music is discreet. The script involves some interviews and the host narrating the story of the disease. Sound effects were barely noticeable to me but bothered some. Trigger warnings for hopelessness and medical scenarios.
Similar Pods: "This Much is True," "This Podcast Will Kill You" and "Emerging Infectious Diseases"
"Doomsday: History's Most Dangerous Podcast"
I love "Doomsday: Historoy's Most Dangerous Podcst" so much! The morbidly funny 2020 show covers some of the most shocking days and disasters in history with wit and solid production quality. All of the episodes cover events I had never heard about. It’s solo hosted by Brad Choma and part of the Funeral Kazoo Productions. Funeral Kazoo seems to p...
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