Yann Tiersen

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A favourite musician of mine for years, I always thought he was on the
fringes of prog, but I believe that with his latest album he has
completely earned a spot here. His early material was somewhat
reminiscent of Penguin Cafe Orchestra, with often quirky, whimsical,
classically-tinged compositions that were often nostalgic or
melancholic. Over the past fifteen years he's slowly branched out,
becoming more influenced by rock music, and writing music that could be
classified as post rock, though never fitting exactly within the
confines of that genre. I'll post some links to music spanning the
entirety of his career to see what people think. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnhe1i-iQqc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W9-Bc3IqpE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJifgV5bjZA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1w12ZjWI8Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML4ffX4pvjk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vopaDE_9aE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAPprG-oWd8&feature=related

What I think most qualifies him for this site is that over the course of
his career he has progressed, embracing many forms of music and making
them into one amalgam that is his own, and though he's changed style
drastically, he's not afraid to play older songs with different
arrangements. He uses instrumental virtuosity on multiple instruments,
but is also able to play simply and atmospherically when that is
required. There's a certain attention to detail in the compositions, but
he's not afraid of improvising live. The songs use piano, violin,
accordion, analog synths, as well as the standard rock instruments, and
several more experimental instruments such as bicycle wheels and
typewriters. I would highly recommend looking into his entire
discography, and I strongly feel that he belongs here. Based on his
newer work, you could call him post rock, but I think taking his entire
career into account, avant would probably be the best fit, as he uses
elements of post, folk, classical, rock, and many other styles.

Edited by sean - January 03 2011 at 05:29

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sean Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: April 02 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1155	Topic: Yann Tiersen Posted: January 03 2011 at 05:26
	A favourite musician of mine for years, I always thought he was on the fringes of prog, but I believe that with his latest album he has completely earned a spot here. His early material was somewhat reminiscent of Penguin Cafe Orchestra, with often quirky, whimsical, classically-tinged compositions that were often nostalgic or melancholic. Over the past fifteen years he's slowly branched out, becoming more influenced by rock music, and writing music that could be classified as post rock, though never fitting exactly within the confines of that genre. I'll post some links to music spanning the entirety of his career to see what people think. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnhe1i-iQqc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W9-Bc3IqpE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJifgV5bjZA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1w12ZjWI8Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML4ffX4pvjk&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vopaDE_9aE&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAPprG-oWd8&feature=related What I think most qualifies him for this site is that over the course of his career he has progressed, embracing many forms of music and making them into one amalgam that is his own, and though he's changed style drastically, he's not afraid to play older songs with different arrangements. He uses instrumental virtuosity on multiple instruments, but is also able to play simply and atmospherically when that is required. There's a certain attention to detail in the compositions, but he's not afraid of improvising live. The songs use piano, violin, accordion, analog synths, as well as the standard rock instruments, and several more experimental instruments such as bicycle wheels and typewriters. I would highly recommend looking into his entire discography, and I strongly feel that he belongs here. Based on his newer work, you could call him post rock, but I think taking his entire career into account, avant would probably be the best fit, as he uses elements of post, folk, classical, rock, and many other styles. Edited by sean - January 03 2011 at 05:29

harmonium.ro Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin Joined: August 18 2008 Location: Anna Calvi Status: Offline Points: 22989	Posted: January 03 2011 at 07:02
	Interesting. Based on his previous works I would have never thought of him as of a progressive rock musician, but I'll look for samples of the new album.

harmonium.ro Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin Joined: August 18 2008 Location: Anna Calvi Status: Offline Points: 22989	Posted: January 03 2011 at 10:47
	From the latest album: ^ this is pure post-rock ^ I don't know how to define this. ^ Experimental/Post-rock. ^ Same. Lots of dark-wave influences in all the tracks. ^ Dark-wave/Neo-folk? Sounds like a mix between Rome, Neutral Milk Hotel and Migala (which is in Post-Rock). ^ Experimental/Post Rock. Splendid! Neo-folk again. ^ Pop. Very interesting album. It's an album that I could see on PA, though I'm not sure in which category. I'll search through the previous albums to get an over-all picture of his output.

angelmk Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: November 22 2006 Location: Netherlands Status: Offline Points: 1955	Posted: January 03 2011 at 13:09
	i have been fan of Yann Tiersen for years, his music is hard to define, it defies categorisation, uses lots of instruments, mixes genres of all kinds, but i think his music is not complex enough to be part of PA, not prog enough to say, and also i won't call the music post rock, it's too experimental for post rock
	www.last.fm/user/angelmk

memowakeman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: May 19 2005 Location: Mexico City Status: Offline Points: 13032	Posted: January 04 2011 at 15:10
	He's an awesome musician with several worth listening album, however I don't really think he could fit in Prog Archives. Anyway if he was suggested, he can be evaluated!
	Follow me on twitter @memowakeman

sean Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: April 02 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1155	Posted: January 08 2011 at 10:54
	I was basing the suggestion mostly on the strength of his last album, which I feel could put him into either post or avant. His older stuff I believe is progressive in a way, but not so much rock. There are times when rock music is introduced, but on that stuff I would call him closer to folk, though I could see him fitting into eclectic on the basis that his older material greatly reminds me of Penguin Cafe Orchestra

agentorange73 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Newbie Joined: July 10 2011 Status: Offline Points: 1	Posted: July 10 2011 at 05:53
	Have you seen Tiersen's last video? www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF3WyEcgie4 The single is called Monuments from the new album Skyline out in autumn. Hope you like it :)

Logan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum & Site Admin Group Site Admin Joined: April 05 2006 Location: @ wicker man Status: Online Points: 32614	Posted: July 10 2011 at 16:47
	Just linking it so that more people might check it out (was going to embed it but it's rather adult): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF3WyEcgie4 I like the video; thanks. I wonder if the rest of Skyline will continue in the post-rock/ dream pop and shoegaze methinks (though I'm no expert on those styles) vein. I do prefer his earlier soundtrack work, but that really is nice music. Is that an official video, though. Strange to me that's the same animation used in this rather similar musically Klum one from 2009, though. Wonder what the story is behind the same animation being used in both if both are official videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TP5u0wv5ag Edited by Logan - July 10 2011 at 16:48
	Just a fanboy passin' through.

Svetonio Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: September 20 2010 Location: Serbia Status: Offline Points: 10213	Posted: December 10 2011 at 09:22
	An amazing Prog artist without a doubt!! (The Trial from 2011 Skyline CD):

sean Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: April 02 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1155	Posted: December 14 2011 at 15:12
	Yeah, I can understand his earlier albums not really being related too much to prog, but I think Dust Lane and Skyline are both great albums with elements of post-rock and shoegazing type stuff, and bits of skyline, at least in my mind, have a bit of a krautrock feel.

sean Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: April 02 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1155	Posted: December 14 2011 at 15:19
	And here are some examples of why I think that, from the new album, since all of Dust Lane has been posted in this thread: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoirWqKfZFg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSkY3yjnuAU&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77jWnFNLcks&feature=related On a side note, I'm far too young to be as bad at the internet as I am, but how do you embed the video within the thread, so that people can just watch it here?

yam yam Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: June 16 2011 Location: Kerberos Status: Offline Points: 5814	Posted: December 15 2011 at 09:21
	Easist way is to use 'Post Reply' button (not the 'Quick Reply' one, which has limited editing features) Then find the ladder-like icon on the top row which says 'Insert Movie' when you hover the cursor over it. Select this, and a new window opens with YouTube as the default movie type (you can embed flash videos too, but that is a bit more involved). In the box which says 'YouTube File Name' you need to type the characters from the YouTube URL which identify the video - ie for http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSkY3yjnuAU&feature=related you would need to type in (or copy and paste) NSkY3yjnuAU (ignore the '&feature=related' part), and for http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoirWqKfZFg it would just be EoirWqKfZFg. However, it also works if you paste the whole URL in, (as long as the 'http://' part is included too - it won't work if you just paste in www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoirWqKfZFg or www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSkY3yjnuAU&feature=related. You can preview the video first before you add it, but all that actually appears in your post when you add the video is its identifier (ie. EoirWqKfZFg or NSkY3yjnuAU) in between two [TUBE ] & [/TUBE ] BBcodes (which is exactly what you would use, without the spaces at the end of the brackets, if you were adding them manually without the 'Insert Movie' feature of the full reply editor. Hope this helps. Edited by yam yam - December 15 2011 at 09:27

Marty McFly Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: March 23 2009 Location: Czech Republic Status: Offline Points: 3968	Posted: December 15 2011 at 10:45
	When listening the latest album, Skyline, one can't help but to feel Post-Rock in that. I don't know his previous work (I even hate Amelie film, so I don't know music used there). I am not one to make harsh, definitive judgments, but Skyline is Post-Rock. The question is, can one album redeem his (possibly not Post-Rock) work ?
	There's a point where "avant-garde" and "experimental" becomes "terrible" and "pointless," -Andyman1125 on Lulu Even my

Logan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum & Site Admin Group Site Admin Joined: April 05 2006 Location: @ wicker man Status: Online Points: 32614	Posted: December 15 2011 at 13:36
	I feel that one suitable album should be enough, but others feel differently. I think he could be included based on his latest album, Skyline, and the one before it, Dust Lane (both are similar) and think he has earlier material that is more Prog Related. And I think it a shame that you hate Amelie, Marty, but then I'm not a fan of the Back to the Future films so to each his or her own.
	Just a fanboy passin' through.

Marty McFly Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: March 23 2009 Location: Czech Republic Status: Offline Points: 3968	Posted: December 15 2011 at 14:35
	^ I know, many like this movie, but then again, many like Back to the Future (since I started this nick here, I got hundreds of BttF quotes). I would probably like music from there (I just heard some samples on youtube), but I strongly dislike the premise of Amelie, it's simply completely different cup of tea. About that one-album rule. I think that we have such policy, but it is often not respected, which perhaps suggests a need to change that policy. OR it can also suggest that such album in question would have to be really strong example of Prog, which is very unlikely, if other albums would not quality. Therefore your suggestion for P-R sounds just about fine, two averagely "Prog" albums + rest of Prog-Related / Non /Prog would make Prog Related :-)
	There's a point where "avant-garde" and "experimental" becomes "terrible" and "pointless," -Andyman1125 on Lulu Even my

Logan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum & Site Admin Group Site Admin Joined: April 05 2006 Location: @ wicker man Status: Online Points: 32614	Posted: December 15 2011 at 16:35
	I actually rather liked the original Back to the Future film, but not the sequels that much. I like Amelie muchly, but prefer the Jeunet directed films Delicatessen and City of Lost Children. Come to think of it, I think I prefer the other one he directed and also starred Audrey Tatou in, The Long Engagement. I'm kind of a Jeunet fan, so.... Anyway, I'm not proposing Tiersen for PR as there are various criteria to consider for inclusion, and I'm of the "if an artist/ band has at least one prog category suitable album, then it should go in a prog category" persuasion. The rest of the albums are not so relevant. In Tiersen's case, I think his last two are considerable, so I don't really care about his first 11 or so soundtracks/ LPs (I haven't even heard them all, so can't adequately comment on them anyway, though i guess I have heard music from almost all of them). Can't say I personally care if he's included or not, but I do think he is considerable for serious consideration. This is one of my favourite pieces by him from an early album of his (not posting since I think it's relevant to PA, just posting cause I have long liked it). Edited by Logan - December 15 2011 at 16:36
	Just a fanboy passin' through.

angelmk Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: November 22 2006 Location: Netherlands Status: Offline Points: 1955	Posted: December 15 2011 at 21:18
	Well guys, being a fan of Yann Tiersen i will say once more that he will not be included in Post-rock. His latest album is not that post-rockish to include him here, as a matter of fact it is not a post-rock album at all, maybe some hints here and there, but it is more indie rock, dream-pop sort of, shoegaze. I don't think he is suitable for PA.
	www.last.fm/user/angelmk

Logan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum & Site Admin Group Site Admin Joined: April 05 2006 Location: @ wicker man Status: Online Points: 32614	Posted: December 15 2011 at 21:50
	I was thinking more along the lines of Crossover, but maybe not...
	Just a fanboy passin' through.