Yann Tiersen

A large amount of my music is purely instrumental, and hopefully I can bring more people into the fold of enjoying it. Yann Tiersen has been an integral part of my music experience ever since I was introduced. I couldn't remember his name for the longest time so he was 'that French Accordionist.' I’ll start off with 3 songs which highlight separate instruments. I will feign saying that these are my favorite songs of their respective instruments because from artist to artist, song to song, music is often incomparable for me, much like taste. I like sweet and tart and spicy, but they are entirely different concepts and so lack a common element for proper comparison. Music consists of so many elements that to take it apart and say this part is better than anything else doesn’t make sense because; one element depends on the rest of the song and they cannot be viewed independently. However these are in the ranks of songs which I herald as perfect. Not that they are actually perfect but I cannot think of any criticism or faults. Each and every time I listen to them I in total amazement of what music can be. They are all from his 2001 album L'absente.

Qu’en Reste-t-Il :

It is an absolutely gorgeous violin song. As with many Yann Tiersen tracks, he starts off relatively slow paced, flowing through the song until he brings it to a climax. But in this song you may not even realize that the climax is looming. It hits at 2:52, and in true Yann fashion he slows down, almost making us think the song is over and then bam, he pulls out a defibrillator, yells clear and in an explosion of notes resuscitates a still living being into pure bliss. The sound of the violin is so rich, it whimpers and moans as Yann makes each pass of his bow. More than just creating sounds, Yann brings the violin to life, letting it sing its little heart out.

http://www.divshare.com/download/9898317-dff

L’absente:

In the same fashion as Qu’en Reste-t-Il the listener is given a beautifully melodic couple of minutes and then Yann picks up the pace and rips it up on the piano. 2:19 his hands start a-flying and then soon after the bass notes form the cohesiveness of the speed. At one point in my listening to Yann I would skip through most of the piano songs because they were too slow paced for me. I had done that several times with this song but one time I let it play through and it taught me that Yann's fingers can caress the music out of any instrument.

http://www.divshare.com/download/9898315-5a7

Le Jour d’Avant:

I have an inherent love for the accordion because it combines rhythm and melody unlike any instrument. This song isn’t just about the accordion though, he brings out cello, xylophone, horns and percussion all into harmony. This is a great example of the layering that Yann can put together. Sometimes I will get lost in the song listening to one instrument and then zone out of it and let them all meld together into harmony.

http://www.divshare.com/download/9898331-2ae