Top Picks: David Gilmour's 'Rattle That Lock,' the game 'Her Story,' and more
PBS's program 'Walt Disney' looks at the life of the innovative creator, the podcast 'Switched On Pop' argues that great chart-toppers have plenty of musical and lyrical nuance, and more top picks.
PBS
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David Gilmour unshackles himself from Pink Floyd’s stylistic conventions on his fourth solo album, Rattle That Lock. Highlights abound. “In Any Tongue,” a protest against drone warfare, climaxes with an anguished guitar solo. The trampoline riff of “Today” joyfully bounces between disco and funk. On “A Boat Lies Waiting,” the vocal harmonies of David Crosby, Graham Nash, and Gilmour soar with the synchronicity of aerobatic jets.
Culture clash
Indian Summers, a new series on PBS, centers on an elite, ruling British expatriate community in India in 1932. Culture clash inevitably results as two interdependent groups figure out how to relate to each other as calls for independence rumble through the country. “Indian Summers” debuts Sept. 27 and airs Sundays at 9 p.m.
Crime puzzle
Fans of TV crime procedurals should try out the innovative game Her Story. Players get access to a fictional police database full of interviews caught on tape, but the footage has been sliced up into little segments. Amateur sleuths need to comb through the video archive and piece together the clues to reveal the details of the crime. It’s available for Mac, PC, iPad, and iPhone at www.herstorygame.com.
Mickey’s maker
From Mickey Mouse to Cinderella, “The Little Mermaid” to “Frozen,” Disney is a multibillion-dollar franchise, television network, and worldwide cultural presence. And it all comes back to one man: Walt Disney. A two-night PBS special looks at his life and work, including the creation of such early films as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and the building of Disneyland. Walt Disney premières Sept. 14 and 15 at 9 p.m. and will be out on DVD Sept. 15.
Pop analysis
It’s easy to dismiss pop songs as sweet confections with little substance. But Switched On Pop argues that great chart-toppers have plenty of musical and lyrical nuance. Twice a month, the podcast dissects songs, revealing the similarities between Taylor Swift and Beethoven, the politics behind Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk,” and the reason country star Kacey Musgraves is considered transgressive. Start with Episode 10 on Swift’s “Blank Space.” It’s available at www.switchedonpop.com.