Ear Snacks logo cover
Well, with this the plural in "Podcast Reviews Are Now a Thing Here" is in fact true.
The Los Angeles-based kindie duo Andrew and Polly first became known to the kids music world for their melodic and occasionally quirky music, but it's their podcast Ear Snacks that is, I think, their most forward-thinking creative effort for audiences of kids.
They call it a "radical new podcast for kids," and while I tend not to believe most descriptions that try to hype the individuality of the product, in this case I think the phrase fits. Each episode is loosely structured around a single theme -- the most recent one, Episode 9, is "Rain," but they've also covered beeps, pairs, disguises, balls, and more. The duo (married, with a kid of their own) tackle the topic by talking with one another, playing audio clips of kids talking about it, talking with adult experts, and playing music. The adults they talk with are sometimes scientists, but sometimes they're just people with a hobbyist's interest (like Polly's father or a friend who just really digs seahorses). The music, well, as you'd expect, it's really good. (The song at the end of the "Rain" podcast is one of the best kids' songs you'll hear this year.) And all of this is wrapped into a single, well-edited whole.
The podcast is most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7. The iTunes link for the show is here (you can find it elsewhere, of course, including at the podcast's main page above). Episodes are roughly 15-20 minutes in length, and are released roughly monthly. (Sometimes there are much shorter bonus episodes released in between the main releases.) Aside from a suggestion of supporting the show, perhaps by buying a t-shirt, the show is ad-free.
I recently called Ear Snacks a half-absurdist podcast for kids, and I stand by that assessment. Yes, it features kids, and curious ones at that, and that's nothing new, but its blend of music and its deemphasis on straight-forward storytelling is certainly unique for the emerging genre. It's a hoot.
