Top Picks: Dido's 'Still on My Mind,' PBS's 'Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People,' and more

The film 'Burning' is available on DVD and Blu-ray, producer Andrew Huang makes enjoyable, interesting music using fireworks, shaving supplies, and Legos, and more top picks.

Stripped-down music

You’d be forgiven for thinking that Dido’s first album in six years was recorded in a cathedral. Her lovely voice seems to flutter up in the rafters of a vast space, and you can hear her quick intake of breath before each line. It’s a relief to hear pop music that eschews the distorted warble of auto-tune. Still on My Mind is a stripped-down record. Yet the day-glo beat of “Mad Love” could be a dance-floor hit, and the songs “Hurricanes” and “Give You Up” rival Dido’s earlier classics “Here with Me” and “White Flag.” 

Boating aid

If it’s warm enough where you are to head out on the water, check out the Boating Marine & Lakes app, which is free for iOS and Android (and is titled Boating HD Marine & Lakes app for Android). The app has charts, data on tides, and navigational tools.

 

Pulitzer past

A new episode of PBS’s “American Masters” explores the life of Joseph Pulitzer, just in time for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize winners. The program examines the impact of Pulitzer’s newspapers on American history as well as the publisher’s early life. Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People airs April 12 at 9 p.m.

Unusual music tools

Is it possible to make enjoyable, interesting music using fireworks, shaving supplies, or Legos? According to producer Andrew Huang’s YouTube channel, the answer is a resounding yes. There, Mr. Huang (who has worked on more than 40 albums) demonstrates how to transform the soft dripping of household pipes into a soothing beat or turn recordings of winds on Mars into a melody. He also offers more conventional music advice, including tutorials and walk-throughs for various synthesizers and production software. Find it at http://bit.ly/ahuangchannel.

Knowing film

The film Burning, which stars Yoo Ah-in, Jeon Jong-seo, and Steven Yeun, is available on DVD and Blu-ray. The film by Lee Chang-dong tells the story of a delivery boy whose childhood acquaintance disappears soon after returning from a trip with a mysterious, wealthy love interest. “This is a very knowing movie about the ultimate unknowability of people,” Monitor film critic Peter Rainer writes of the film.