#podcake

The year is coming to a close and as I write this in the fading few days we have left  of 2017, I present one special post before it’s officially over. For today, let’s reminisce about some of the best parts of audio drama that have come out this year. Be it personal favorites or some memorable moments we can all still look back on with a smile, here is my top ten podcast moments of 2017. 

10. Radio Drama Riveting!

@radiodramarevival had some excellent interviews lined up this year from The Penumbra to Archive 81. A crowning episode early in the year was certainly with the always amazing and abstract @timescanner who proved to be as good as guest as you would expect…or maybe, not expect. He’s kinda weird. 

9. Amazing Art

This year we were positively spoiled by artwork provided from a variety of artistic talents out there. Be it @disasterscenario and her gorgeous covers for @thepenumbrapodcast or the variety of designs going into @officialjimrobbieandthewanderers or the creatively cryptic images put to use in @sablepodcast, I’m certain at least one of them has stuck out to you.

8. Made For TV

For the popular titles TANIS and The Bright Sessions came the exciting news that their shows would be developed into a TV series some time in the future. There’s plenty to anticipate from the news alone and though info is limited to this one article and the creators’ word for it, I certainly consider it a major highlight for the community as a whole. 

7. Podcast Premiers

Every year we get a share of new audio dramas to anticipate and 2017 was no different. This year we got the especially promising debuts of @whatsthefrequencypodcast @s2s-podcast and @girlinspacepodcast that have won us over in just a few early episodes. Let’s all hope to hear more from all of them in 2018.

6. Fresh Ink

While still on the topic of premiers, it’s only fair to talk about how the fashion magazine sci-fi comedy @inkwyrmpodcast that blew us all out of the water and into the solar system with a strong first season composed of excellent episode after excellent episode. I think it’s fair to say it will be setting even more trends next year. 

5. Positively Paradoxical

In late October, we were finally able to spend our precious time tuning back into @arsparadoxica, the amazing and sometimes trippy time traveling story that left us wanting more back in 2016. This also goes for the official premiere of @thefarmeridian made from some of the same smart people.

4. Aye, Aye A.I.! 

If there was anything that threw me for a loop this year it was the return of the podcast SAYER, the sci-fi horror darling of creator @adambash. Not only did it make excellent progress on their Kickstarter in record time, but gave SAYER the kind of continuation it truly deserved for its immersive world and equal parts fascinating and terrifying A..I. characters. If you weren’t tuning into the show back in 2015, you are majorly missing out. 

3. Space Survior Anthem

This was a good year of @wolf359radio for both fans and crew as the epic sci-fi comedy audio drama draws itself to a close and we’re left with one of the most well produced and well written podcasts in recent years to be wrapped into the  neat little bow it deserves. Not to mention speedy support for the Patreon that boosted just enough money to create more additional content such as Mission Mishaps shorts and the official Pryce and Carter’s Deep Space Survival Procedure and Protocol Manual. 

2. Sharing the Spotlight

This year was especially abundant with everyone in the audio drama pitching a hand to one another via their voices or writing talents. If there’s anything I’ve adored about the podcast scene is the sense of community and teamwork that goes into it and hearing the voices of @hadrongospelhour and the one and only @iamzachvalenti being generously sprinkled into different titles are the kinds of collaborations I hope to see more of. 

1. Help Wanted

Out of the few years I’ve been running this blog, 2017 is what really shined in the enormous amount of support that pours into the audio drama community. Be it through crowdfunding, iTunes reviews, or just spreading the word around the web, every little contribution counts and can make for amazing things. I’ve also noticed a rise in audio drama creators reaching out through casting calls and taking on writers and video editors from all corners of the web. A little teamwork can go a long way.

2017 went by so quickly, it’s almost hard to believe we could squeeze so much  into what seemed like so little time. It’s truly a pity I had to narrow everything down to ten things since my passion and drive from the podcast world is something that burns brightly no matter the date. 

Keep listening and keep your head high because 2018 will most definitely have you perking your ears.

彡kanan’s aquatic audio drama: take a dive with these picks!

❀The Bridge// @thebridgepodcast

It’s an alternate 2016, and Watchtower 10 sits in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, keeping lonely watch over the Transcontinental Bridge. Each watchtower sits hundreds of feet away from the Bridge, broadcasting regular traffic reports to ensure that proper safety precautions are taken. 

❀Tides// @tidespodcast​

Tides is the story of Dr. Winifred Eurus, a xenobiologist trapped on an unfamiliar planet with hostile tidal forces. She must use her wits, sarcasm and intellectual curiosity to survive long enough to be rescued. But there might be more to life on this planet than she expected. . . 

❀Under Pressure// @underpressurepodcast A near future podcast about life aboard the underwater research station Amphitrite featuring deep sea scholars, love, oblique literature references, and chaotic neutral kraken. 

❀Station to Station// @s2s-podcast​ A sci-fi mystery/horror about a science project with dark secrets, a biochemist with melancholic tendencies, and the mysterious notes of a lost scientist, set on research cruise several hundred miles away from land. Also featuring: corporate espionage, loss, morality, and close encounters of the eldritch kind. 

❀Passage//  @PassagePodcast 150 years ago, the S.S. Cumberland disappeared in the Pacific Northwest. A lifeboat from the ship with four skeletons inside just mysteriously showed up in Marrow Passage. Reporter Daisy Bonham attempts to solve the mystery and find out what other secrets are lurking just below the surface.