mastercast

enApril 25, 2022

So you think you know The Beatles?

Transcript:

Hey pod lovers. If you’re joining us for the first time: Welcome! "The Mastercast" is a podcast recommendation show that

*record scratch*

Okay pod lovers if you’ve listened to earlier episodes you know this is the part where I usually tell you what we’re going to cover during the show, but I’ve got great news. I’m actually changing the show’s format just a bit.

You’re still getting non-spoiler, binge-worthy reviews of the best podcasts in a short and sweet 2-3 minute summary of everything you could want to know, from the number of hosts to on average how long you can expect each episode to be.

But instead of seven reviews monthly, you can now expect one review every Monday. This review will be my top recommendation for the week. You can find the week’s other reviews on the show’s social on Instagram @themastercast and Twitter @mastercastpods.

Anyway, now that little announcement is out of the way, let’s get to this week’s review which is ...

"Paul McCartney: Inside the Songs"

Did you know The Beatles' song "Yesterday" (widely regarded as one of the greatest pop songs ever written) shares history with Doctor Who? How about who the woman behind the song "Eleanor Rigby" really is?

For the first time, master storyteller Paul McCartney relives what was really happening when he wrote some of the most popular songs of the 20th century, and nothing is left on the table. Drugs, love and the band’s breakup are just a few things covered in these candid, short-form, off-script narratives produced by BBC Radio 4 in promotion for McCartney’s upcoming book, "The Lyrics."

I’m not even the biggest fan of The Beatles, but I adored this podcast from a music history perspective and appreciated the unique look into the making of 10 famous songs by the group.

Apple Podcasts has 4.5 stars, 12 ratings, and only 1 written review, which I can't believe! It’s also only available for one year from its original air date, which was October 25, 2021. Let’s hope the Internet Archives squirrels this gem away for generations to come.

The script is done in the style of some of my favorite podcasts; the interview questions either don’t exist or have been edited out. It leaves a seamless recount that gives context to the culture and history of the time.

All episodes were released the same day and are ready for you to listen. You can listen all the way through within an hour because the length of each one is only 4-9 minutes. I was amazed at how captivating each could be at such a short length.

No commercials and surprisingly almost no music, with only a few clips of each song used throughout the series.

Trigger warning drug use and murder.

Similar Pods: "I am the EggPod," "Like a Version" and "Dissect"

All right, guys, that’s all for this week, but remember if you want to see the cover art, sources or the written transcript for this episode, be sure to check out the show notes or KCSUFM.com. There you can tell us if you have music you would like played on the show or submit a podcast to be recommended. You can also send us an email at thmastercastpodlist@gmail.com.

This week’s music comes from Tonguebyte, a band from Aurora, Colorado, that crosses genres of punk, jazz and alternative rock. The song featured was "Hot Vodka," and I thought it went really well with this week’s musical podcast. For more from them, you can find them on Instagram @tonguebyteoffical or on any major music platform. Their contact will also be in the show notes. If you have the opportunity to see them live, they’re a must-see. Really cool group of people.

Remember to show the show with the pod lovers in your life and tune in next Monday. Thanks for listening!

Sources:

Apple Podcast
Podchaser
Podnods
Podnews
OwlTail
Listen Notes

Music Attributions:

Artist: Tonguebyte
Song: "Hot Vodka"
Contact here

★ Support this podcast ★

enApril 18, 2022

The Best Finds of September 2021

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 pride itself in being different and also has another show, "Sleep Manuals: A How-To Guide to Sleep," which is intended to guide you to sleep.

Watch out for their newest shows, "Inventors of Death" and "Spilled Milk," set to come out this year. I really love Choma’s voice and humor. He also has a brilliant voice for radio, making the show something I can fall asleep to but also be entertained at work with.

A bit of a warning though: the subject of this podcast and banter surrounding it is not for the fainthearted. I don’t find it offensive or disrespectful in any way, but if jokes about disasters are not what you’re trying to sign up for, maybe skip this one. That being said, this is one of the few podcasts that can actually make me laugh out loud.

Apple Podcasts has an incredible 5/5 stars, 23 ratings and 12 written reviews. So far the show has 26 episodes, all about 24 minutes in length, with new ones coming out bimonthly on Fridays.

OwlTail isn’t able to calculate the most popular episodes yet with too few episodes, but the most entertaining to me have been “The Great Boston Molassacre of 1919” and “The Mandhradevi Temple Apocalypse of 2005.” Music is minimal.

Similar Pods: "Short History Of…," "This Is A Disaster" and "Black Box Down"

"Short History Of…"

I know I review a lot of history podcasts, but "Short History of..." one is something special. Host Paul McGann, who some may know from his other popular podcast, "Real Dictators," could make reading from the dictionary entertaining.

It’s as if he was born to narrate, but this, coupled with the brilliant writing and detailed sound design Nosier is known for, makes each episode feel as if you’re watching a documentary instead of just listening to audio. It inspires vivid emotion as only the best-produced podcasts can. It dives into deeper questions of events instead of just retelling stories we’re all familiar with. For example, how did the people of the time perceive the aftermath of the black death?

Apple Podcasts has 4.9 stars and 532 ratings. Although the show description says new episodes come out every Monday, they have been every Sunday for me. This might be because of a time difference. So far there are 13 episodes that have an average length of about an hour: Perfect length if you have an hour commute.

The most played according to OwlTail are “The Gladiators” and “Pompeii and the Vesuvius Eruption.” While I really enjoyed those episodes as well, my favorites are “Rosa Parks” and “The Space Race.”

Exper...

enDecember 06, 2021

The Best Finds of August 2021

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 a seamless, detailed story much like what’s heard in "This is Actually Happening."

The tales come not only from American agents but spies from other intelligence programs. No matter how you feel about some of the things done by different governments, it’s neat to see how the inside functions. It’s suspenseful but not true crime. The show will have you sitting in your car to finish an episode and frustrated anytime someone interrupts you.

Gripping and binge-worthy, the stories cover a wide range of perspectives, such as politics and history, while being real-life action thrillers. So far there are 22 episodes from three seasons and no word if we can expect a fourth.

Apple Podcasts has 4.7 out of 5 stars, 2,443 ratings and 216 written reviews. My favorite episodes have been "The Sleeper Agent" and "The Counterspy." OwlTail’s most popular listed episodes are "The Man With the Antidote" and "The Narc part 1." There is music that I didn’t find bothersome, but some do.

Trigger warnings for violence.

Similar pods: "American Jihadi," "Wind of Change" and "Spy Affair"

"LeVar Burton Reads"

As a kid, I was a loyal "Reading Rainbow" fan. I never missed it, and now I can continue curling up to enjoy more of LeVar Burton in "LeVar Burton Reads," done with Stitcher.

The show has 4.9 out of 5 stars for a reason. Every Tuesday, solo host Burton (with the help of his team, whom he never fails to credit) reads one of his favorite fictional short stories from a diverse selection of contemporary and classic writers. I’ve found so many more authors of color from this pod than I would have on my own. The support and inclusiveness is a goal to emulate.

Production is excellent across the board with voice and soundscaping expertly done. Equal parts soothing and familiar, Burton’s talented reading is another great staple of the show. It’s perfect for every character regardless of which emotion is being conveyed, and the selection of stories always challenges listeners to think critically.

Just a warning for those who are looking for happy ever after endings: The stories read usually spotlight science fiction, speculative fiction and fantasy, which sometimes results in suspenseful, unresolved conclusions. Despite this, one similarity between the tales is that they are all brilliant. So much so that I listen to them twice: once as I go to sleep and then again ...

enOctober 10, 2021

The Best Finds of July 2021

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 account of how it happened from an interview April did for SimonSays: https://blog.simonsays.ai/behind-the-podcast-a-conversation-with-april-calahan-co-host-of-dressed-the-history-of-fashion-917c11ca7440. Anyway, the show has a little over 1,000 reviews and an average of 4.5-stars. New episodes come out every Tuesday (and sometimes Thursdays) on a year-round season so there’s no shortage of juicy fashion knowledge in the foreseeable future. Currently, there are 198 episodes about 40 minutes long with a noticeable amount of commercials in them (I don’t find it unbearable). My favorite episode is definitely the Smuggled in the Bustle: an interview with Hind Abdul-Jabbar that talks about how smuggling was actually a big part of fashion back in the day and sometimes still is. Owltail has its two episodes as Freeing the Body: The Birth of Modern Dress, A Vanderbilt House Party--The Gilded Age, an Interview with Leslie Klingner, and Holiday Bonus FHM: The History of Glitter (I really liked this one). This podcast is about as loose on the script as they come without being completely unscripted or edited. The background music can be noticed sometimes throughout the earlier episodes, but I really only found it troubling on my laptop and I’ve listened to all of the episodes through headphones fine. Zero trigger warnings. One last note is that I do like the beginning episodes more than the latter but they’re all good.

Similar Pods: History of the 90s, Crime Culture, It Was Simple: The Betty Broderick Murders

Tides of History:

This history podcast is my new favorite to listen to as I fall asleep. It’s polished with well-done audio like all of Wondery’s shows and informative in a captivating way. It covers everything from ancient times to modern perspectives and origins stories on all sorts of things that make up the human experience. Ph.D. historian and host, Phil Wyman has an amazing voice backed up subtle sound effects and complimenting music that makes for the best soundtrack to fall asleep to that I’ve heard in a while. For those that don’t know most platforms/apps have a sleep timer setter and for iPhones there’s a “stop playing” option at the bottom of the alarm choices. Itunes has 4.5 thousand reviews and an average of 4.7 stars. New episodes come out Thursdays which is a huge plus for me (even though it usually takes me a few nights to get through them) because most of my favorite shows come out at the beginning of the week leaving me in a bit of a drought towards the end. 171 episodes all on average about 41 minutes long with Owltail’s highest ranking being The Trials and Tribulations of the Late Medieval Church, The Wars of the Roses, and 1492: A Guided Tour of Europe on the Brink. My favorites have to be The First Farmers, and Who Were the First Americans? The latest episode came out this week and the show remains consistent in the type of conten...

enAugust 09, 2021

The Best Finds of March 2021

“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.

Podcasts covered in this episode include “Murder in House Two,” “We’re Alive,” “List Envy,” “How To!” with Charles Duhigg, “Julie: the Unwinding of the Miracle,” “The Food Chain” and “Reasonably Sound.” This week’s music came from Arches Audio, and the sources of the reviewed podcasts include Apple Podcast, Podchaser, Podnods, Podnews, OwlTail, American Public Media and Listen Notes.

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enApril 11, 2021

The Best Finds of February 2021

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.

Podcasts covered in this episode include: "Wife of Crime," "Duncan Trussell Family Hour," "They Will Kill," "Enthusiast!," "Shallow Graves," "The Pineapple Project" and "Girl in Space." This week’s music came from Arches Audio, and the sources of the reviewed podcasts include: Apple Podcast, Podchaser, Podnods, Podnews, OwlTail and Listen Notes.

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enFebruary 28, 2021