I don’t know about you, but I almost never go into the iTunes store anymore. The podcast section deeply buried, and the category I usually look at, “Arts: Literature”, is full podfaded shows. And when the podcasts listed are up-to-date they are often podcasts about TV shows, or if they are book based they are dominated by a long parade of sparkly vampire, boy wizard, or starving-teenager-in-dystopia book series based podcasts.
So like I said I’ve nearly given up on iTunes as a source of podcast discovery.
But, late last year I started following a blog that does weekly podcast reviews, The Onion’s AV Club Podmass.
The way the site works, it’s basically a weekly roundup of review of about a dozen podcasts with sassy descriptions of new episodes.
I think we need a lot more blogs like this.
Here’s how The Onion AV Club’s Podmass describes itself:
Since the iPod debuted in 2001, it has gone from portable music player to a medium in itself: Podcasts, like blogs, have indelibly shaped the media landscape in less than a decade. The A.V. Club listens to a lot of them, so this week we introduce Podmass, our weekly round-up of the podcasts we follow.
Here’s how it will work: Each week, we’ll recommend the best of those we listened to, as well as quick write-ups of everything else. Because of the deadlines required to post on Friday, our coverage week goes Thursday through Wednesday. Every few weeks we’ll visit a fringe podcast, get a recommendation from a podcaster we like, as well as listen to something completely new to us. (If you have podcast suggestions, e-mail us at [email protected].)
The only thing missing from the reviews are links to the MP3s themselves. I would HuffDuff a lot more of the shows I’ve spotted there if they were deep linking.
I haven’t posted about Podmass previously because their focus is almost entirely on comedic podcasts. Most weeks see a review of about ten standup comic personality podcasts. There’s also a a sprinkling of history, or non-fiction subjected shows thrown in as well – but they’re not ones I usually love.
The good news is that their |LATEST POST| includes a familiar program. Check it out:
OUTLIERS
19 Nocturne Boulevard
Julie Hoverson is a writer and producer who lets her dark side show in this anthology audio-drama series. Many episodes of 19 Nocturne Boulevard are horror stories, including some quality adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft, but the show can include comedy, sci-fi, romance or whatever genre Hoverson feels like producing that month. The writing and the sound effects shine brightest in these productions, but the voice acting is made up of a mix of professionals and brand-new talent, which can produce a mixed result. The episode “Little Boxes” is a creepy tale of some store clerks who agree to sell a new product that could save their business, with disastrous results. The story is elegant in its simplicity and a good example of how music and sound effects can set a gloomy and foreboding mood. This is the perfect show for anyone who needs a good scare to motivate their morning jog. [AJ]
And if you go digging you’ll see Julie Davis’ Forgotten Classics was reviewed back in September!
Posted by Jesse Willis
The Cinefantastique Spotlight Podcast (which is somehow connected with the Mighty Movie Podcast) had me nodding in agreement yesterday when I heard their review of Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows. Recorded last year, the show features an hour long discussion that echoed many of the thoughts I had while watching the film. I liked the movie, thought it actually improved on the previous entry in the Downey/Law Holmes/Watson film series, but wasn’t exactly sure what to make of some of the more “fantastique” elements. This podcast mostly sorted me out. Here’s the official description:
The Wendigo
