Top Picks: Welsh ensemble 9Bach's new album 'Tincian,' the iOS app Sidereel, and more
Schubert for strings
Franz Schubert was one of the greatest musical minds of all time. Because he is one of the few so-called Viennese composers who was actually born and bred in Vienna, Schubert: String Quintet D956 and Quartettsatz D703 鈥� recorded by the , who are joined by one of the premi猫re cellists of the day, Canadian Gary Hoffman 鈥� is getting more-than-usual attention. Neither work was performed during Schubert鈥檚 relatively short lifetime. It is available from Avie Records.
Wistful Welsh
Poetic and atmospheric, Tincian is the second album from the innovative Welsh ensemble . The ethereal quality of Lisa Jen鈥檚 voice brings lightness to the weighty topics of these folk songs, ranging from birth, the passing of a loved grandmother, a fox on the hunt, and the Stolen Generations of Australian Aboriginal children, in the gently urgent 鈥淧lentyn.鈥� The album notes help, but you don鈥檛 need to know Welsh to feel the depth of emotion and originality.
Track your shows
Your own pocket TV planner is now available with the new SideReel iOS application. Add your favorite shows to the app鈥檚 tracker and SideReel will alert you when new episodes are airing. Or if you鈥檙e looking to watch an episode online, the app provides a list of websites, such as iTunes or Hulu, where it鈥檚 available. The SideReel app is available free of charge through the iTunes App Store.
Country charmer
After more than half a century in the spotlight, can still put a new album on the top of the charts. Blue Smoke, featuring duets sung with Willie Nelson and Kenny Rogers (both previously released titles), shows she hasn鈥檛 lost any of her singular charm and verve. For Parton fans, this is more of her regular sugar and spice, singing songs from different periods of her life, covering a Bob Dylan tune, and singing about the heartbreak every country singer knows as well as her memories of growing up in the Appalachian Mountains.
Smart-phone romance
In the age of smart phones, the movie Her is the perfect romantic scenario. Joaquin Phoenix stars as Theodore, a man who falls in love with his computer operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), and scenes that could have just been satirical come across as deeply resonant under the direction of Spike Jonze. The movie, which includes some adult content, is available on DVD and Blu-ray.
Artistic minds
I鈥檓 Not the Beatles: The John & Yoko Interviews 1969-72 is an eight-CD set featuring five in-depth conversations with Village Voice journalist Howard Smith, remastered from tapes stashed for 40 years in his New York loft. The interviews reveal the thought process the couple went through as they moved beyond the shadow of the Beatles鈥� supersuccess to become individual activists. This fascinating glimpse into the lives of these two icons is available from .
