Three years later this feature is making a come back here on the blog. I didn’t realize I started this during Blaugsut 2019 until I went back to look at the previous posts. It ran for a whole 4 weeks before falling to the wayside. But I’m bringing it back!

Like I said in Friday’s post, I’ve been finding more time to listen to podcasts in this post-commute world I find myself in. Today I’d like to introduce two fiction podcasts I’ve listened to recently that I think are worth a exposing your ears to.

Forest 404

Forest 404 is set in the 24th century, after a data crash called The Cataclysm. Pan, our protagonist, is a young woman with a boring job sorting and deleting old sound files that survived the crash. She uncovers a set of sound recordings from the early 21st century that haunt her.

The story follows Pan after she finds a vibrant recording of a rain forest. It’s unlike anything she’s ever heard before. Pan sets out to find out what the recording is and why she’s never heard these sounds before. All while being chased by people who would rather the recordings not get out to the public.

Following each story episode is a short talk relating to something from the episode as well as a short soundscape recording. It’s an interesting mix of audio drama, informational podcast, and relaxing sounds that I haven’t run into before or since.

Slumberland

This audio drama invites your ears to visit Slumberland, a small island town in the US. Come along with Thomas Edward M, the freelance soundman. He’s been hired to meet the locals and record their oral histories for the town’s time capsule. The unfolding history of the town mixes folklore, paranormal, mystery and humor.

Slumberland is one of my new favorite shows as of late. It’s been ongoing since 2013 and released their 99th episode in May. I particularly like the use of an oral history project as a plot device to explain why these recordings exist. I’m also a fan of the setting being somewhere in the middle of one of the Great lakes.

It’s funny, quirky, a little bit spooky, and with episodes ranging from 4-35 minutes I was able to binged it in just under a month. New episodes don’t release consistently which is a bummer now that I’m caught up but I’m very much looking forward to the next installment of Thomas Edward M’s adventures in Slumberland.