Top Picks: 'Wolf Hall' on PBS, Slate's new podcast 'Whistlestop,' and more
Pop goes the moon
听Combining archival news broadcasts with electronic pop, London duo Public Service Broadcasting has created perhaps the most compelling record of the year so far with . Kicking off with J.F.K.鈥檚 inspiring call to conquer 鈥渢he moon and beyond,鈥� band members Wrigglesworth and J. Willgoose Esq. mine the heady excitement of a half century ago (鈥淗e鈥檚 walking in space! He鈥檚 walking in space!鈥�) to fuel their craft with heart and high drama.听
Tudor drama miniseries
Hilary Mantel鈥檚 critically acclaimed novels 鈥淲olf Hall鈥� and 鈥淏ring Up the Bodies,鈥� about King Henry VIII鈥檚 adviser Thomas Cromwell, come to the small screen with a new miniseries adaptation. Tony Award winner Mark Rylance takes on the part of Cromwell, while Damian Lewis of 鈥淗omeland鈥� plays Henry VIII, and Jonathan Pryce is Cardinal Wolsey. debuts on PBS April 5 at 10 p.m. and will air Sundays through May 10.听
Campaign podcast
As 2016 political campaigns rev up, Slate鈥檚 new podcast revisits some 鈥渕ake or break鈥� moments of past presidential candidates, from Ronald Reagan鈥檚 鈥淣ashua Moment鈥� to George Romney鈥檚 鈥淕hetto Tour.鈥� Host John Dickerson whisks listeners through the 10- to 20-minute episodes with engaging narratives and endearing wit, expertly tying historical anecdotes to today鈥檚 headlines. It鈥檚 available free of charge on iTunes and Slate.com.听听
Color overload
In the Chinese city of Yiwu, China Commodities City is the largest small commodity wholesale market in the world. In , photographer Richard John Seymour has captured some of the stalls, which are stuffed with everything from fake flowers to toys. The bright colors of the endless items create mesmerizing motifs. Check out Seymour鈥檚 photos at www.richardjohnseymour.com.
Sunburst guitar
Robben Ford鈥檚听 casts shade over most blues albums. It鈥檚 not just because the guest list reads like the contents page of Guitar World magazine. Ford smartly utilizes Warren Haynes, Sonny Landreth, Keb鈥� Mo鈥�, and Robert Randolph to enhance his diverse flavors of jazz, pop, soul, and Zydeco. On 鈥淏reath of Me,鈥� ZZ Ward鈥檚 swooning voice and Ford鈥檚 smitten guitar form a synchronous orbit. Ford鈥檚 tone is so scintillating that you鈥檒l wonder if his strings are fiber optic.
