Each month, Podcast Review’s staff offers recommendations on the best new shows to listen to. Here are our favorite podcasts for April.
The old adage goes “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In a media era where the word “fascist” is thrown around like a toddler’s sippy cup, putting news events in their historical context is a compelling cause. Taking up the mantle is Eli Lake, a veteran journalist who has reported for Bloomberg, The Daily Beast, Newsweek, and now The Free Press as the host of Breaking History.
Breaking History covers the sort of current news stories that Bari Weiss often steers her ship towards, such as the Luigi Mangione trial and campus protests. As a centrist endeavour, this history podcast is competent and enjoyable. While the choice of topics might be politically motivated, Lake’s coverage is objective enough. He picks up comparable stories from history and does a convincing job of relaying the similarities between our past and present. Does it tell us anything about our future? Only that human beings are predictable.
A familiar story: a man is laid off from his cushy job and starts a podcast. But this is no ordinary podcast bro. This is former-ESPN reporter, podcaster, and beloved sports commentator Zach Lowe, who returns this month with his brand new podcast from dribble giants The Ringer called The Zach Lowe Show. Catchy.
Lowe started his career nearly fifteen years ago with a column called ’10 Things I Like and Don’t Like’ for ESPN, and his status as one of the best analysts in the NBA grew out of his ability to combine an “everyman” vibe with rigorous research. He provides insider information in the vein of Brian Windhorst while matching the amiability of Bill Simmons. NBA players are not known for their charismatic interviews, but Lowe is able to draw out the stories that the fans really want to hear. The first episode dropped on April 7th as a Spotify video podcast and featured a wild Western Conference playoff race, the showdown between the Lakers and the Thunder, and NBA awards with Howard Beck.
Let’s take a break from the news cycle and the weight of our shared history to think about other types of dirt. From the New York Botanical Garden, Plant People returns for a new season of stories about the importance of nature in our urban lives. Plant People is hosted by Jennifer Bernstein, CEO & President of NYBG. In these effervescent and tender-hearted episodes, Bernstein speaks to scientists, gardeners, authors, and activists to discover how they became plant people — and why you might be one, too. New episodes of Plant People drop every Monday.
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Alice Florence Orr is a staff writer and managing editor for Podcast Review. She is a writer and freelance media strategist.