The Great Podcast List of 2017

With the year drawing to a close, a good resolution to consider would be to check out some podcasts you've never come across (or pick up podcast listening in general if this is your introduction). I mean, becoming smarter and gaining a more well-rounded perspective of the world on a weekly basis isn't such a bad way to pass 2018. So below are 120+ podcasts that both me and my wife have encountered since we first started listening.

Titles are organized by style of podcast and then sorted alphabetically. Since there is a mixture of genres as well as personal familiarity presented, the simplest way I chose to sift the wheat from the chaff was to rate them out of five stars like a standard podcast app. These ratings are based on my personal-Catholic-manly-engineering-musical background so take it all with a grain of salt.

5/5 - Recommended unabashedly for superior content and practicality.
4/5 - Frequently deep discussions that requires familiarity with jargon.
3/5 - Good content for its genre and doesn't delve into the weeds too much.
2/5 - Sometimes insightful, mostly passable.
1/5 - Avoid altogether or listen at your own risk! Usually carries a heavily contrarian agenda.
?/5 - Not enough listening experience to garner an accurate rating.

N.B. - I've complied a more detailed list of 20 podcasts here from January 2016.

P.S. - I didn't want to wait to get the list out before completely finishing the post, so there are some missing descriptions that I will include in the next couple of days.


Catholic - Commentary / Keynote / Presentation [19]

All Things Catholic (4/5) - Dr. Edward Sri offers insights on living a deeper and richer Catholic faith.

Aquinas College Lecture Series (?/5) - Older talks from Aquinas College

Aquinas College Podcast (?/5) - Guest lectures from Aquinas College in Nashville.

Augustine Institute Special Events (3/5) - Keynote speakers from the Augustine Institute in Denver.

Catholic:Under the Hood (3/5) - Franciscan Fr. Seraphim Beshoner offers a slow and thorough of the history of the Catholic Church through all its ecclesiastical conflicts and theological clarifications.

Week in Review: Be a Man

Movies: Superheroes

Over the past couple of weeks I've made an effort to catch up on the superhero blockbusters I've missed. It began with Logan and continued with Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad, Civil War, Doctor Strange and Godzilla (the latter being slated for a joint cinematic franchise with King Kong). Out of all of these titles I have to place Logan on top, and not because of it's gut-wrenching violence (which I believe was made so gruesome so as to dissuade the audience from any distraction towards bloodlust). This noir drama reminds us that the gods we've placed on thrones for three trilogies have been human all along, and humans have an end (finitus) that gives purpose to life and an end (telos) and meaning to sacrifice.

Week in Review: The Blog Abides

Since last year I've got a new fiancée, a new house and a new degree. Now I'm ready to return to my blogging antics.

Band: Saintseneca

Last Saturday, my fiancée and I attended a concert headlined by Tigers Jaw and got to see Saintseneca as an opening act. Their name was familiar but it wasn't until I heard them live that I got hooked on their melding of Southern folk and alternative indie.

"River" by Saintseneca

Podcast of the Week: Man Caves, The Study, and Identity

On their latest episode, Taylor Marshall and Jared Zimmerer challenge the prevalent notion of the man cave as the retreat for the modern neanderthal and argue for the necessity of the study in the live of the paternal philosopher-king. Beyond just stressing the importance of its incorporation in a man's abode, the duo propose several tips for how to go about acquiring and implementing the essential articles for this locale, even if one happens to be a bachelor with a roommate.

Listen to "Man Caves, The Study, and Identity"

Visit Maccabee Society

Be the Maccabee,

Kelvin

P.S. - The Song Exploder episode with CHVRCHES that was recorded while I was at SXSW is finally up.

Song of the Week: Irresistible

I probably came across the shoegaze band Whirr from the noise rockers Nothing, but in any case I tuned in to the former artist's radio station on Spotify and up came this song from post-metal act Deafheaven. This short instrumental comes in the front end of their 2013 sophomore release Sunbather and serves as a testament to the band's eclectic approach to songwriting and their unwillingness to be pigeon-holed into one musical genre, even as broad an umbrella term as "hard rock".

"Irresistible" by Deafheaven

Simply irresistible,

Kelvin