Soundscapes and stories to lose myself in
September 3, 2023 12:41 PM Subscribe
Help me find new amazing audiodramas to listen to. I particularly like coziness, sci-fi, and fantasy. I love fascinating and detailed sound design, but it's not a requirement if the story is worth it. I would love some stories that aren't predicated entirely on intense conflict rooted in cruelty, but instead explore something interesting (a place, an idea, a way of being human, finding one's path, slice of life) with gentleness and kindness rather than brutality. List of favorite (fiction) podcasts and other media below the fold.
My first example isn't a podcast - it's the Monk & Robot books by Becky Chambers. The cozy, gentle vibes are what I'm going for. People (and robots) learning about themselves and others, how to be themselves and how to be in community, in a post-capitalist world where basic needs are already met... plus lots and lots of tea.
Some other examples of books that had low-stakes conflict or no real conflict that I loved:
- Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett, a book that gets inside the narrator's head and vividly renders her thoughts and her material environment as a person who lives mostly alone
- The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide, a perfect little gem of a book that captures ephemeral moments and changing qualities of light, about two married poets who slowly get to know, admire, and love a cat who visits them
I also completely love Avatar: The Last Airbender, Avatar: Legend of Korra, and the associated comic books. It's one of my favorite worlds to lose myself in. Zuko's narrative arc was really meaningful to me (and his relationship with Iroh). I loved seeing the different Air Temples and really wanted to learn more about the Airbender way of life. And the fourth season of Korra spoke especially deeply to me because of my own struggles with injury and disability -- so I'm not opposed to characters having a really difficult time sometimes. But I do really need the fundamental perspective of the story to be kind, maybe even earnest? (Think of Avatar, or even Diablero, versus something like Breaking Bad. I loved both Avatar series and I loved Diablero, and I'm 100% not at all interested in something like Breaking Bad.)
Some other media I've enjoyed:
- Second Star to the Left (an audiodrama with great character and relationship development -- I *love* E. Jade Lomax!)
- Stay? (an interactive game by E. Jade Lomax)
- Spooked (a "true" scary stories podcast with wonderful sound design. It's spooky and creepy but generally not to excess. I'm known to enjoy a certain amount of spookiness from time to time!)
- The Leviathan Chronicles (okay, this whole audiodrama series is pretty over-the-top and doesn't exactly fit my parameters of "cozy", but it was a rollicking good time. I haven't managed to get particularly interested in the new spin-offs, though)
- Girl in Space (an audiodrama I enjoyed, especially when it wasn't too action-y)
- Forest 404 (an audiodrama that was a bit too dystopian in overall tone for me, but there were moments of incredible beauty. I loved the focus on sounds and soundscapes)
- Glacial melt (field recordings of glaciers calving and Weddell seal calls - probably my favorite sounds of all time)
Tell me all about your favorite fiction podcasts that I can listen to curled up with a cup of tea, a cat, and a blanket this fall!
My first example isn't a podcast - it's the Monk & Robot books by Becky Chambers. The cozy, gentle vibes are what I'm going for. People (and robots) learning about themselves and others, how to be themselves and how to be in community, in a post-capitalist world where basic needs are already met... plus lots and lots of tea.
Some other examples of books that had low-stakes conflict or no real conflict that I loved:
- Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett, a book that gets inside the narrator's head and vividly renders her thoughts and her material environment as a person who lives mostly alone
- The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide, a perfect little gem of a book that captures ephemeral moments and changing qualities of light, about two married poets who slowly get to know, admire, and love a cat who visits them
I also completely love Avatar: The Last Airbender, Avatar: Legend of Korra, and the associated comic books. It's one of my favorite worlds to lose myself in. Zuko's narrative arc was really meaningful to me (and his relationship with Iroh). I loved seeing the different Air Temples and really wanted to learn more about the Airbender way of life. And the fourth season of Korra spoke especially deeply to me because of my own struggles with injury and disability -- so I'm not opposed to characters having a really difficult time sometimes. But I do really need the fundamental perspective of the story to be kind, maybe even earnest? (Think of Avatar, or even Diablero, versus something like Breaking Bad. I loved both Avatar series and I loved Diablero, and I'm 100% not at all interested in something like Breaking Bad.)
Some other media I've enjoyed:
- Second Star to the Left (an audiodrama with great character and relationship development -- I *love* E. Jade Lomax!)
- Stay? (an interactive game by E. Jade Lomax)
- Spooked (a "true" scary stories podcast with wonderful sound design. It's spooky and creepy but generally not to excess. I'm known to enjoy a certain amount of spookiness from time to time!)
- The Leviathan Chronicles (okay, this whole audiodrama series is pretty over-the-top and doesn't exactly fit my parameters of "cozy", but it was a rollicking good time. I haven't managed to get particularly interested in the new spin-offs, though)
- Girl in Space (an audiodrama I enjoyed, especially when it wasn't too action-y)
- Forest 404 (an audiodrama that was a bit too dystopian in overall tone for me, but there were moments of incredible beauty. I loved the focus on sounds and soundscapes)
- Glacial melt (field recordings of glaciers calving and Weddell seal calls - probably my favorite sounds of all time)
Tell me all about your favorite fiction podcasts that I can listen to curled up with a cup of tea, a cat, and a blanket this fall!
Best answer: Try EOS 10 - it’s a full-cast SF podcast that’s mostly workplace comedy for the doctors and nurse. It does deal with some stuff like addiction, but the main character’s pretty unfailingly nice (and is treated as the sensible one.)
posted by tautological at 4:15 PM on September 3, 2023
posted by tautological at 4:15 PM on September 3, 2023
Best answer: It sounds like we have very similar tastes! I am also all about Becky Chambers these days. I don't mind a bit of darkness and depth in my media, either, but unfortunately I find most of what's popular can be very conflict-heavy and dispiriting.
The following suggestions are my favourites: fundamentally good-hearted, kind, and thoughtful, with elements of coziness and sff. All full-cast audio dramas and very lovingly produced.
The Orbiting Human Circus: I think this is one of the best audio dramas ever made, and I think you will like it too. "Atop the Eiffel Tower, a lonely janitor stumbles into a series of alternately surreal and comic adventures as he becomes part of a mystery: what is the secret behind the wildly popular, bizarrely impossible live radio variety show being broadcast from the tower’s top?" It's ephemeral and surreal and many magical things happen. Wonderful, eccentric characters. It has a lot of human fragility in it, but also immense compassion and gentleness.
The Family Tree: Also a contender for "one of the best audio dramas ever made." I do not know how to describe this. It's a magical realist family drama. It's literary and metafictional but also very personable and relatable and not at all pretentious or heavy-feeling. It's about families and their tangled relationships, and identity and personal growth, and change, and ways of being in the world. The characters in this podcast are very naturalistic and deep and feel as real to me as my actual friends.
Alba Salix, Royal Physician and The Axe & Crown: From the website: "Alba Salix: A witch, her apprentice, and her fairy herbalist treat the ills of a fairy-tale kingdom." Mostly comedic, many shenanigans. The companion series, The Axe & Crown, features different characters in the same universe, and digs more deeply into themes of community and care.
The Bunker: This is a fictional radio broadcast set after the end of the world and it is very funny. Primarily comedic, but also full of both shenanigans and philosophy. Some of the characters are quite cynical, and it can get (comedically) dark (see also: apocalypse) but other idealistic/hopeful characters constantly push back against that, creating an interesting tension. It is — strangely — quite cozy, because the premise is that the radio hosts are broadcasting from an underground bunker, so it takes on the flavour of one of those sitcoms where the characters are always in the same place.
Also highly recommended, but I ran out of energy to write up full summaries:
- The Lost Cat Podcast
- The Strange Case of Starship Iris
- The Penumbra Podcast
- Absolutely No Adventures
- Wizard Seeking Wizard
- Donald August Versus the Land of Flowers
If I have more brainspace tomorrow I will be back in the comments to summarize these, too. Seconding the recommendation for EOS 10, by the way; it sounds right up your alley!
posted by fire, water, earth, air at 9:57 PM on September 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
The following suggestions are my favourites: fundamentally good-hearted, kind, and thoughtful, with elements of coziness and sff. All full-cast audio dramas and very lovingly produced.
The Orbiting Human Circus: I think this is one of the best audio dramas ever made, and I think you will like it too. "Atop the Eiffel Tower, a lonely janitor stumbles into a series of alternately surreal and comic adventures as he becomes part of a mystery: what is the secret behind the wildly popular, bizarrely impossible live radio variety show being broadcast from the tower’s top?" It's ephemeral and surreal and many magical things happen. Wonderful, eccentric characters. It has a lot of human fragility in it, but also immense compassion and gentleness.
The Family Tree: Also a contender for "one of the best audio dramas ever made." I do not know how to describe this. It's a magical realist family drama. It's literary and metafictional but also very personable and relatable and not at all pretentious or heavy-feeling. It's about families and their tangled relationships, and identity and personal growth, and change, and ways of being in the world. The characters in this podcast are very naturalistic and deep and feel as real to me as my actual friends.
Alba Salix, Royal Physician and The Axe & Crown: From the website: "Alba Salix: A witch, her apprentice, and her fairy herbalist treat the ills of a fairy-tale kingdom." Mostly comedic, many shenanigans. The companion series, The Axe & Crown, features different characters in the same universe, and digs more deeply into themes of community and care.
The Bunker: This is a fictional radio broadcast set after the end of the world and it is very funny. Primarily comedic, but also full of both shenanigans and philosophy. Some of the characters are quite cynical, and it can get (comedically) dark (see also: apocalypse) but other idealistic/hopeful characters constantly push back against that, creating an interesting tension. It is — strangely — quite cozy, because the premise is that the radio hosts are broadcasting from an underground bunker, so it takes on the flavour of one of those sitcoms where the characters are always in the same place.
Also highly recommended, but I ran out of energy to write up full summaries:
- The Lost Cat Podcast
- The Strange Case of Starship Iris
- The Penumbra Podcast
- Absolutely No Adventures
- Wizard Seeking Wizard
- Donald August Versus the Land of Flowers
If I have more brainspace tomorrow I will be back in the comments to summarize these, too. Seconding the recommendation for EOS 10, by the way; it sounds right up your alley!
posted by fire, water, earth, air at 9:57 PM on September 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
Do you already know about Jack Flanders? Not new, but if these stories are new to you, then they're new, right?
posted by inexorably_forward at 4:25 AM on September 4, 2023
posted by inexorably_forward at 4:25 AM on September 4, 2023
Best answer: In case you're interested in more glacier sounds, I'll point you to Magnús Bergsson's work with glacier field recordings: Hljóðmynd – Soundimage. I would recommend reading the posts before listening, since some of the audio files have warnings about a huge range in volume.
There is also SiAl, by Matthias Urban, which was recorded over a four year period but blends really well into a soundscape of an Icelandic shoreline.
And to fully satisfy the parameters of the question: Wolf 359 is a well-produced sci-fi radio drama with a full cast; it has a good mix of comedy, drama, and even a little horror.
I think you might also enjoy The Sea in the Sky (although I think it's only available from Audible...). Sci-fi again, and it has a limited cast, but I remember it being very good.
And finally: I love the sound design of Malevolent. It is absolutely a horror podcast, so be prepared... But the way they deliver the actors' performances is fantastic and really adds to the overall horror sound. I'm pretty inured to horror in general (too many horror books and movies), but it's so immersive that some of the episodes absolutely spooked me.
posted by boisterousBluebird at 6:05 AM on September 4, 2023
There is also SiAl, by Matthias Urban, which was recorded over a four year period but blends really well into a soundscape of an Icelandic shoreline.
And to fully satisfy the parameters of the question: Wolf 359 is a well-produced sci-fi radio drama with a full cast; it has a good mix of comedy, drama, and even a little horror.
I think you might also enjoy The Sea in the Sky (although I think it's only available from Audible...). Sci-fi again, and it has a limited cast, but I remember it being very good.
And finally: I love the sound design of Malevolent. It is absolutely a horror podcast, so be prepared... But the way they deliver the actors' performances is fantastic and really adds to the overall horror sound. I'm pretty inured to horror in general (too many horror books and movies), but it's so immersive that some of the episodes absolutely spooked me.
posted by boisterousBluebird at 6:05 AM on September 4, 2023
The Witness for the Dead and its sequel, The Grief of Stones.
Cosy and gentle mystery in a world of elves, goblins and airships. On Audible.
posted by M. at 1:11 PM on September 4, 2023
Cosy and gentle mystery in a world of elves, goblins and airships. On Audible.
posted by M. at 1:11 PM on September 4, 2023
This is a bit left-field but you said you wanted soundscapes to lose yourself in, so: Back in the early 2000's legendary DJ Paul Oakenfold created a series of 35 recordings called "Urban Soundtracks" for a now defunct British radio station called Galaxy FM.
Each soundtrack, lasting for nearly 2 hours each, featured a (primarily) British thespian narrating a story with Oakenfold providing suitable musical background (a mix of music, sound effects, movie snippets, etc).
The majority of the stories are famous classics like The Hunchback of Notre Dame or The Little Mermaid, interspersed with books from more modern writers like Irving Welsh and Hanif Kureishi. So not necessarily cosy sci-fi, but stunning soundscapes with superb stories and wonderful narration. Fall of the House of Usher read by Sir Christopher Lee with an atmospheric electronic backdrop? Dracula read by Tom Baker with appropriately dark sound effects swirling in your ears? Oh yes.
Internet Archive has a copy and a lot of them are available on YouTube or Mixcloud. Well worth trying.
posted by underclocked at 10:29 PM on September 4, 2023
Each soundtrack, lasting for nearly 2 hours each, featured a (primarily) British thespian narrating a story with Oakenfold providing suitable musical background (a mix of music, sound effects, movie snippets, etc).
The majority of the stories are famous classics like The Hunchback of Notre Dame or The Little Mermaid, interspersed with books from more modern writers like Irving Welsh and Hanif Kureishi. So not necessarily cosy sci-fi, but stunning soundscapes with superb stories and wonderful narration. Fall of the House of Usher read by Sir Christopher Lee with an atmospheric electronic backdrop? Dracula read by Tom Baker with appropriately dark sound effects swirling in your ears? Oh yes.
Internet Archive has a copy and a lot of them are available on YouTube or Mixcloud. Well worth trying.
posted by underclocked at 10:29 PM on September 4, 2023
Best answer: Late to this, but you could try
The Far Meridian - searching for a brother through space and time while dealing with agoraphobia
The Tower - climbing a mysterious tower for unclear reasons and reflecting on life (I think an ad mentioned it was inspired by The Far Meridian)
Desert Skies and (Desert Skies FM) - passing through a gas station in the afterlife
Give Me Away - sharing a mind with alien consciousness
Everything is Alive - interviewing inanimate objects and exploring humanity
These came to mind for cozy/gentle/kinder vibes. Also maybe
Lake Song - building community after climate change in future Chicago
Apollyon - navigating ethics and family while developing a vaccine for a virus in the future
Brimstone Valley Mall - working at the mall as misfit demons
Don't Mind Cruxmont - unraveling a slow burn mystery
Gather the Suspects - solving a cozy murder myster
Welcome to Nightvale - giving updates on surreal community radio (classic you've surely already heard of)
Some of the 7Lamb productions?
And perhaps
Cairns soundwalk - visiting Green-Wood Cemetery, but you can still listen at home
A longer list of potential others if any of these click ... I listen on Pocket Casts but also use Apollo (all fiction and audio drama) for discovery, and similar podcasts will often cross-advertise especially if in the same network like QCode. BBC of course has many more than Forest 404; have seen people like The Archers for a rural slice of life, but I haven't listened.
Happy listening!
posted by eyeball at 10:59 AM on September 7, 2023
The Far Meridian - searching for a brother through space and time while dealing with agoraphobia
The Tower - climbing a mysterious tower for unclear reasons and reflecting on life (I think an ad mentioned it was inspired by The Far Meridian)
Desert Skies and (Desert Skies FM) - passing through a gas station in the afterlife
Give Me Away - sharing a mind with alien consciousness
Everything is Alive - interviewing inanimate objects and exploring humanity
These came to mind for cozy/gentle/kinder vibes. Also maybe
Lake Song - building community after climate change in future Chicago
Apollyon - navigating ethics and family while developing a vaccine for a virus in the future
Brimstone Valley Mall - working at the mall as misfit demons
Don't Mind Cruxmont - unraveling a slow burn mystery
Gather the Suspects - solving a cozy murder myster
Welcome to Nightvale - giving updates on surreal community radio (classic you've surely already heard of)
Some of the 7Lamb productions?
And perhaps
Cairns soundwalk - visiting Green-Wood Cemetery, but you can still listen at home
A longer list of potential others if any of these click ... I listen on Pocket Casts but also use Apollo (all fiction and audio drama) for discovery, and similar podcasts will often cross-advertise especially if in the same network like QCode. BBC of course has many more than Forest 404; have seen people like The Archers for a rural slice of life, but I haven't listened.
Happy listening!
posted by eyeball at 10:59 AM on September 7, 2023
Response by poster: Wow, eyeball! Thank you!
posted by cnidaria at 3:31 PM on September 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by cnidaria at 3:31 PM on September 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
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posted by paduasoy at 2:27 PM on September 3, 2023 [4 favorites]