Anywhere you travel in Chicago (even if you’re only traveling to the stacks of the Loyola Libraries), you’re going to see a glut of MP3 players. But what are people plugging into? A recent inquiry at the library produced a number of surprising results for high-quality podcasts across a variety of interests: politics, television, music, and some content that seems downright uncategorizable.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll drop in lists of the Podcasts that rose to the top of people’s interests. Our first list is for music lovers.
Read on for our picks in podcasts to keep you jazzed up (or downtempo) for the holidays…
- Music that Matters. KEXP is an independent radio station in Seattle with a wide array of available podcasts. A favorite is “Music That Matters,” a bi-weekly podcast where one of the many DJs selects 14 or so songs from different indie artists. The station also offers a song-a-day option, among others; all the possible podcasts can be seen at http://kexp.org/podcasting/podcasting.asp.
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- Sound Opinions. Led by two of the country’s most recognized music critics, and broadcast via Chicago Public Radio, Sound Opinions is a weekly podcast of new music, album reviews, and in-studio performances from musicians like Spoon, Neko Case, and Booker T. Jones. Greg Kot, one of the hosts of Sound Opinions, wrote Wilco: Learning To Die, a title available at Cudahy library (call number: ML421 .W52 K68 2004).
Get through or - Live in Concert from All Songs Considered. A sub-series of the popular NPR program, Live in Concert features full-length concerts in an intimate setting, including audience interaction and rare covers. Recent performers include Iron & Wine, Stars, Josh Ritter, and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie.
Get through or - Morning Becomes Eclectic. Morning Becomes Eclectic is a nationally-renowned radio program that showcases artist interviews and live in-studio performances, with emphasis on emerging artists. DJ Nic Harcourt plays some of the newest talent in both indie and mainstream music, and so the podcast is a great place to find an introduction to music you’re not likely to hear elsewhere.
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