Podcast for days

So podcast reviews and lists (comprehensive and useful ones like movies reviews) are hard to come by. I still feel like the best podcast recommendations come from friends on instagram and facebook (you thought in person, ha ha) and not so much culture mags, iTunes and Spotify algorithms. If they do for you though, please share your reliable sources.

Here is a list of podcasts I have found, I've categorized the selections by task because I like playing them instead of music when I am doing another thing.

Short ones for face-masks or self care rituals like coloring books or just something to kill time between a time-based activity that usually falls in the under-30 minutes category:

1. The Heart 

These are perfect because they have beautiful sounds, short and easy to follow stories that are so sensual. They make for a very relaxing experiences. The soundscapes are top notch in the episodes and it comes very close to watching a music video but with your ears.

2. The Curious City

These can be even shorter than episodes from the heart (as short as 6 minutes) and they answer fun questions troubling Chicagoans (you know what I mean). Produced by WBEZ, these are fun exercises for the brain in what-if questions and you can also learn some info that you can spit at social events the next time you can't think of a funny anecdote. I don't listen to this one as often though.

Long ones to get those noggins churning in the morning at breakfast or if insomnia creeps up and you have tried everything so you resort to productive activities to tire you.

3. The Hidden Brain 

Hosted by Shankar Vedantam who wrote a book of the same name, each episodes delves into how people's brain functions but also ties them into current events or real life uses. I really enjoy them because I am a bit of a psychology nerd but I also like politics and culture and this approach to the three topics works really well for me.

4. The Urbanist 

I listen to this one on SoundCloud occasionally when I am commuting on the train or bus. Its short enough that I don't lose track of my stop but also not so heavy that I expend all my mental energy paying attention to the story arc. Each episode is like a short lesson, sometimes anecdote, in architecture and city planning. This one is a weird one though, some episodes are super short and some are an hour long. So you pick!

5. The Foreign Desk

This is my source for news explainers. I also don't regularly follow the news like I did a few years (which was by reading the newspaper). But now I use facebook and twitter to keep me sort of in the loop and then if an issue really interests or bothers me, I do the full nine yards of research and read everything online. But sometimes I listen to a Foreign Desk episode to make sure I am staying up-to-date with current affairs. They are usually 30-40 minutes and the format is great because they explain context and show both sides of the issue and then conclude with why this is relevant and I love that!

6. Ted Radio Hour 

I have a love-hate relationship with Ted talks, I kind of like them but they sometimes beat around the bush, parable style for my tastes. Occasionally there is one really compelling one but mostly I enjoy snatches of them and the Ted Radio Hour is ideal. It puts different snatches of Ted Talks together around a subject with Guy Raz taking you through them by asking questions. Sometimes it gets heavy so I pause and come back to it. On most days its nice and feels almost life changing.

7. 99% Invisible 

This is new on my list and I've only listened to a handful of episodes but its kind of cool how abstract ideas are turned into episodes. But I am still warming up to this one, I feel like you have to be into something on the periphery of the selected topics to enjoy them.

Easy alternatives to instagram and pinterest scrolling to kill time. These are low key on commitment but engaging enough to keep you entertained. The following ones way were my toe dip  into the podcasting ocean. These are more talk show style and have their own universe inside of them so it's easier to engage with them. I started of with the following podcasts before I found my specific podcast type.

8. Two Dope Queens 

I didn't quite get into it but I do from time to time listen to a random episode and enjoy the energy that the hosts bring to the show.

9. Serial

This is old but its gold.

10. Snap Judgement and This American Life

They are not top on my list but sometime I listen to them to make notes on storytelling, narrative structures, styles and the use of sound for stories. They were obviously designed for a radio audience and not so much podcast so the vibe is different. The reveal is slower and long drawn. But its also easy to jump in and out and not feel like you missed a lot.