Time to catch 2019’s best aural delights

So many podcasts, so little time. If that’s the kind of busy year you’ve had, and you’re hoping to download some great podcasts to binge on over summer, then keep reading.

Here’s a quick rundown of what you should have listened to during the past 12 months.

If music is your thing, then plug your earbuds in for Stay Free: The Story of the Clash.

Presented by Chuck D of Public Enemy and produced by Spotify and the BBC, this podcast explores the origins of punk.

At the other end of the spectrum, Aria Code by WNYC, is a podcast about the best opera arias.

Presented by music aficionado Rhiannon Giddens, the podcast decodes the stories behind opera’s greatest solos, and lets you hear a recording of the aria at the end of each episode.

It was another stellar year for the true-crime genre and the crimes covered in The Australian’s Who the Hell is Hamish?, which told the story of a conman with many aliases who, from the 1990s until now, conned many innocent families out of more than $20 million via phoney investments.

Meanwhile, the life of a serial killer is featured in The Clearing. It’s the story of a woman named April Balascio, who suspects her father is a serial murderer.

Her call to the police led to her father’s arrest and eventual conviction for multiple murders.

This podcast typifies our obsession with truecrime, conspiracy and mythmaking.

Podcasts provide great context and insight into the modern world and this year Dan Taberski’s Running From Cops shone a light on how criminals and crimes are perceived, thanks to 30 years of the reality TV show, Cops.

There was also a podcast released every weekday during Ramadan called Tell Them I Am.

Featuring a variety of Muslim voices, Misha Euceph’s show challenged the perceptions of what it means to be Muslim in a modern world, as it focused on the seemingly unimportant moments that end up defining who you are and who you are not.

Elsewhere, a recent favourite of mine has been Cautionary Tales, presented by author and economist Tim Harford. This podcast recounts true stories of other people’s mistakes and what we should learn from them.

Finally, my top pick for the whole of the year is Dolly Parton’s America by Jad Abumrad.

This nine-part podcast is the product of two years following country music superstar Parton, and features interviews with her about her music, business empire, faith and politics.

She is a unifying symbol in a divided America, which is also at a cultural crossroads.