Top Picks: The Weather Station's 'Loyalty,' the PBS documentary 'Homefront,' and more
Four-wheeled affair
The National Geographic Channel鈥檚 looks at America鈥檚 love affair with the automobile, from the 1950s creation of the Interstate Highway System and its effect on small towns (think motels and drive-through restaurants) to the strange story of how the Volkswagen Beetle was created (it involved Adolf Hitler and a bomb). 鈥淒riving America鈥� airs May 25 at 9 p.m.听
Military families
On Memorial Day, PBS is honoring US military members and their families with , directed by Gabrielle Tenenbaum. The documentary follows military families through the day-to-day demands of deployment and highlights how today鈥檚 military conflicts are different from those of previous wars. It airs May 25 at 9 p.m. Check local listings.
A seat at the table
Just try and not binge on , a new six-episode Netflix series. From David Gelb (鈥淛iro Dreams of Sushi,鈥� 2011) come six delectable portraits of culinary maestros, from the bemused Massimo Bottura, who does unheard-of things with Parmigiano-Reggiano, to Magnus Nilsson, whose F盲viken restaurant in remote Sweden seems worth the trek. Also featured: US farmer/chef/author Dan Barber and Los Angeles鈥檚 ferocious Niki Nakayama. Mangia!
DIY MASTER
Mikal Cronin is a one-man band from Los Angeles. On his third album,听, he听marries the yearning vocals of the Beach Boys with the windswept sonic landscapes of bands like My Morning Jacket and Fleet Foxes, bathed in rich string arrangements. There鈥檚 even a lovely, forlorn French horn intro leading off the album鈥檚 sprawling second half, a suite of songs written about Cronin鈥檚 schooldays in the Pacific Northwest. DIY never sounded so glorious.听
Musical Traveler
Forecast: The Weather Station鈥檚 will be the breakout folk album of 2015. The third release by Tamara Lindeman (who records as The Weather Station) is highlighted by several road-trip songs that are part travelogue, part monologue. The Canadian鈥檚 filigree-acoustic songs, whose lyrics boast a linguistic verve comparable to Joni Mitchell鈥檚, contrast the pictorial geography outside her car with the emotional topography inside her head.
