I love a well rounded song well sung backed by a string quartet (in a minor key, preferably). The Beatles Eleanor rigby is the best example I can think of, and Nico's Chelsea Girl is another fine example. My favourite Nico album.
I heard The Testimony of Patience Kershaw by the Unthanks last night for the first time, and it pushed all the same buttons, and better yet it's based on a true story of a seventeen year old factory worker a few centuries ago (sorry that's vague, but I didn't get the date). You can hear it here, I think it's super.
http://www.myspace.com/rachelunthank