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

Podcast of the Week: The Heart Versus The Head & Other Random Musings

Only one son of thunder, Daniel Cornell, is present this week as the other, Kevin Kramer, is exercising paternal duties for his newborn child. Though flying solo, Dan covers a lot of ground in this 80-minute show as he touches on a variety of Catholic topics ranging from old to new: women deacons, the evangelization of Jews, participation in the Mass, the removal of verses from the Holy Thursday and Corpus Christi readings, ad orientem, attending the Latin Mass for the first time and the balance to be struck between the head and the heart.

Listen to "The Heart Versus The Head & Other Random Musings"

Visit Sons of Thunder Podcast

A hodge-podge of stuff,
Kelvin

Song of the Week: Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity

This week's pick is not from the 2010's but the 1910's! After hearing the hymn "O God Beyond All Praising" at Mass some time back, my girlfriend pointed out that the melody is actually borrowed from a movement in the middle of an orchestral suite. The Planets, Op. 32 was composed by Englishman Gustav Holst and has seven movements, one for each of the planets other than Earth in our Solar System (Pluto was not considered a planet at the time... nor now). The mood of each movement matches Holst's interpretation of the astrological / mythological character of the planet's namesake, and "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" makes me jolly every time I hear it.

"Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" by Gustav Holst

For we can only wonder,

Kelvin

Podcast of the Week: Finding God in the Devil of Hell's Kitchen

The Greeks have done it again! Just like in their previous episode, where the Steven and Christian of PCCH successfully steered me away from ever desiring to see My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, my media viewing was influenced when they promised spoilers and I went ahead and finished the second season of Daredevil. Their discussion was a good one, touching on the strength of the storywriting in both seasons, the lessons we can pull from Matt Murdok's struggle with identity and purpose and the present state of the superhero genre and movies and TV as a whole. They then shift gears to talk about the hero in art as an archetype for the Savior, would one be a superhero or supervillain if given the power and what superpowers are the most desirable.

Oh, and there's definitely spoilers ;)

Listen to "Finding God in the Devil of Hell's Kitchen"

Visit Pop Culture Coffee Hour

I'm all ears,
Kelvin

Song of the Week: Hollow Body

My Spotify "Discover Weekly" playlist, where every Monday the site curates a selection of songs I'd enjoy based on my listening history, is slowly becoming an All Songs Considered playlist (it's as if my podcast history is recorded also...). One song from there that stuck with me was "Hollow Body" by Many Rooms off of their 2015 debut Hollow Body. This song was used at the beginning of a November episode of All Songs and though I didn't think much of it the first time around this time I was captivated by the slow build in this hauntingly beautiful and bittersweet folk single.

"Hollow Body" by Many Rooms

You put your breath in me,
Kelvin

Podcast of the Week: Love/Pride

FINALLY!!! After 15 months of waiting, Fr. John Nepil has rounded out the trilogy of discussions on the theological virtues and their corresponding vices. Adapting the topic from the series of essays by the late and great Josef Pieper, it should be no surprise that it is pride and not hate which is the opposite of love. Pride it is also that the CSYSK duo in Rome spend the majority of their time tackling in this important episode.

Listen to "Love/Pride"

Listen to "Hope/Despair"

Listen to "Faith/Doubt"

Visit Catholic Stuff You Should Know

{Duolingo trumpet sound},
Kelvin

Song of the Week: Fired Up

I recently came across "Fired Up" and was reminded of the KEXP Song of the Day feed and how this song was my introduction to this podcast nine months ago, making Titus Andronicus my introduction to the newest wave in modern punk. In keeping with the theme of their Shakespearian namesake, last year's The Most Lamentable Tragedy is a 90-minute and 29-song rock opera that melds the brashness of The Clash with the heart of Pulp to convey an image of the modern anarchist burning all the bridges of his past, making sure the baptismal font gets evaporated along the way.

"Fired Up" by Titus Andronicus

I call it an emerging scene,
Kelvin

Podcast of the Week: The 5 Big Questions Everyone Asks in Life

On last week's WOF Show, Bishop Robert Barron tackles quite literally the biggest questions about life and our place in it. He gives a very concise one-sentence answer to each at the end that I think represents well the height, breath and depth one can expect in listening to this discussion:

• Does God exist?
• Yes, because the world does not explain itself.
• Who am I?
• I am a hybrid of both body and soul.
• What is the meaning of life?
• The meaning of life is to return to God, from whom we came.
• What is right and wrong?
• What is right is what is in line with the teleology of my humanity.
• What happens after death?
• We are raised to a higher pitch of transfigured existence that Paul would call the "spiritual body".

All this before masterfully handling a listener question on where the omnipotence and providence of God ends and our free will begins, citing Luis de Molina and St. Thomas Aquinas in his response.

Listen to "The 5 Big Questions Everyone Asks in Life"

Visit Word on Fire Show

We've given you the easiest questions today,
Kelvin

Song of the Week: Cleveland Rocks

I spent this past Memorial Day weekend with friends riding the world-famous roller coasters at Cedar Point and Kings Island during an amusement park run in Ohio. Though I enjoyed my time at the parks, I can't say the same for the endless wheat fields that was the view for our commutes. I'm not bad-mouthing the whole state, however, because I was aware of one of it's great exports: "Cleveland Rocks". Originally written by glam rocker Ian Hunter for his 1979 album You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic, the song is better known among younger audiences (like myself) for being covered by the alternative act TPOTUSOA and used as the theme song to The Drew Carey Show from 1997 onwards.

"Cleveland Rocks (Ian Hunter Cover)" by The Presidents of the United States of America

Listen to the original here

Rent is due,

Kelvin

Podcast of the Week: Orchestral Music From Latin America

Another week, another Alt.Latino pick. This time Felix Contreras sits down with Tom Huizenga as they embark on a journey following the influence and evolution of classical music in Latin America. Part music lesson and part history lesson, this podcast offers a great introduction to a genre that is as diverse as the countries that produce it.

Listen to "Alt.Latino Goes Classical: Orchestral Music From Latin America"

Visit Alt.Latino

Why not a mariachi opera, right?
Kelvin

Song of the Week: A Thousand Years

I'm not one to listen to pop ballads in my spare time, but some songs stand out when they're added to a playlist my girlfriend shares with me and when they are the sole slow dance at the reception of a wedding at the end of that same week. "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri is one such song, a beautifully composed ode to faithfulness. It's so good that I can (almost) ignore the fact that it's featured on the soundtrack for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1.

"A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri

Heart beats fast,

Kelvin

Podcast of the Week: It Takes Guts to Be Alive

The latest guest DJ session presented by Alt.Latino is actually a re-run from 2012 and features Dominican author Junot Diaz. Diaz brings with him an eclectic setlist with bachata, merengue and pop-punk, all sounds that reminded me deeply of my formative years (being half-Dominican myself). The trio of Diaz with Felix Contreras and Jasmine Garst also discuss the evolution of musical styles and influences in Latin America, specifically in the Caribbean, and the role music plays in asserting the identity of those with a stake in the name latino.

Listen to "Guest DJ Junot Diaz: 'It Takes Guts To Be Alive'"

Visit Alt.Latino

Breaking the omertà,

Kelvin

Song of the Week: Far From Any Road

Some time ago I spotted that Spotify had added a new playlist called "Southern Gothic" and I got around to listening to it today. I enjoyed this walk down the darker side of Americana and was elated to hear a song I recognized. "Far From Any Road", off of the 2003 album Singing Bones by The Handsome Family, served as the theme for the first season of True Detective which starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. The song creates a tension between the sultry and the sorrowful that reflects the mood of the show, set in a land of temptation and dissatisfaction where the justice exacted by the legal and moral law never seems enough to undo the evil pervading the living hell, exterior and interior, in which each of the characters exist.

"Far From Any Road" by The Handsome Family

The wind will be my hands,

Kelvin

Podcast of the Week: How LSD Works

Talk about a random topic. Stuff You Should Know is known for covering subjects that span across all forms of study and experience, and this past week Josh and Chuck decided to expound on the history and effects of the psychedelic drug LSD (a.k.a., acid). Though I did appreciate their debunking of several myths surrounding the drug, I had less regard for their advocacy of therapeutic use of acid and the considerable amount of time they allotted for the whole discussion (nearly 90 minutes, when most shows are under 45).

The episode's saving grace, however, came in a dialogue the pair had with John Hodgman (from The Daily Show) at the end. A pseudo-feud had arisen between the two parties after SYSK released their "Nostalgia" episode at the end of March in direct retaliation of Hodgman's notion that "nostalgia is the most toxic impulse". In this engrossing 20-minute conversation, the three hash out the clarifications of their own stances (in which much common ground was found) and Hodgman adeptly argues how the notion of longing for the "good ol' days" can be destructive when abused by an individual for the purpose of escaping reality or when mechanized by a political entity for the purpose of marginalizing sectors of their own and other societies. Following this, I felt a responsibility to vet his podcast, Judge John Hodgman, and another he suggested, The Dana Gould Hour (at least the episode "Happysad!"), as possible additions to my subscription list.

Listen to "How LSD Works"

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I was not expecting jihad, Donald Trump or Darth Maul to make an appearance,
Kelvin

Song of the Week: You Said It

I first encountered Beverly (not to be confused with The Beverleys) on this year's Austin 100 and was instantly enchanted by "Victoria", a powerpop revival gem that served as the lead single for their upcoming album. Last Friday, the band released their sophomore record, The Blue Swell, and my favorite from the collection of jangle-dreampop tracks was "You Said It" which perfectly unites Beach Boys surf cred, Pixies fuzz and Metric crooning to form an indie masterpiece of B-side proportions.

"You Said It" by Beverly

You can't unsay it,

Kelvin

Podcast of the Week: Reservation Missionary

One podcast that stood out from all the downloads last week came from Catching Foxes where the duo of Luke and Gomer conversed with Kenn Cramer about his work with a unique class of poor America. This was a very enlightening discussion as it brought to mind the continued existence of Native American reservations and the particular challenges the inhabitants of these face in terms of poverty, discrimination, identity, purpose and religion.

Listen to "Reservation Missionary Kenn Cramer"

Visit Catching Foxes

You can wear a cassock and be a nice guy,

Kelvin