Each month, Podcast Review’s staff offers recommendations on the best new podcasts to listen to. Here are our favorites for December:
Described as “the stand-out true crime podcast of the year,” Lords of Death tells the story of Thrasher Banks, a man who finds a forgotten box of old letters, police reports, and VHS tapes relating to a cold case from 1995. Thrasher begins to make connections between these artifacts and other objects in the box, leading him to start an investigation in Dayton, Ohio, the original location of the murder. Soon, Thrasher realizes that the 1995 murder could be linked to another murder, a much more brutal crime. Set against the heights of the Satanic Panic, Lords of Death could well be called a period piece, since it carefully captures the feeling of 1980s and 90s Ohio.
So, is it the stand-out of the year? Simply put, Lords of Death is everything I want, not just from a true crime podcast, but from a podcast in general: careful production, enigmatic characters, great sound design, and an uncanny story. Thematic similarities to True Detective‘s first season make Lords of Death not merely atmospheric, but nearly cinematic. Though not without flaws, this will be the podcast that closes out my year.
Bloomberg’s Odd Lots recently took a break from its regular programming to present a three-part series called ‘Beak Capitalism.’ You heard that right. Not ‘peak.’ Nor ‘bleak.’ Beak. This is a financial story told through one of the nation’s favorite fast food orders: chicken.
Honestly? There have been sillier economic metaphors. At least chicken has the distinction of being a major player in the global economy. From its beloved position in consumers’ hearts, to what chicken can tell us about inflation, this novel concept really has wings. The experts at Odd Lots cover these topics in conversation with economists, analysts, CEOs, and a chicken sandwich war correspondent. You’ve got to hear it to believe it.
If your podcast feed is comprised of history podcasts like Conflicted and The Rest is History, we’ve got a new show for you. Goalhanger’s most recent launch, The Rest is Classified, is all about espionage. Naturally, it’s hosted by a CIA analyst turned spy novelist and veteran national security journalist. Early reviews have highlighted David McCloskey and Gordon Corera’s natural rapport, though it may be a few episodes before we can hear whether they’ll develop anything close to an actual joke. The first two installments focus on what we know about the 1953 Iranian coup, including the American’s attempt to declassify documents relating to the event. It would be fair to call The Rest is Classified the British version of Blow Back, but since the Americans recently created their own incarnation of the iconic Desert Island Discs, we’ll call it a fair exchange. Does The Rest is Classified have real potential? Yes. But Goalhanger may need to add something special to stand out in a strong genre.
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