Skyline

by Yann Tiersen

Overview

On Skyline, Yann Tiersen goes further down the path he forged on Dust Lane, moving away from the delicate, keyboard-driven reveries that marked early work such as the tracks collected for the Amelie score or the music for Good Bye Lenin! and toward a post-rock-tinged sound that, despite its differences, is just as widescreen-ready. While the galloping rhythms and swift melody of "Forgive Me" are most like the works that won Tiersen a legion of film buff fans, most of Skyline evokes comparisons to other artists. The bursts of instant-gratification guitars on "Another Shore" could come just as easily from Smashing Pumpkins' "Today" or from Mogwai, while twinkly, bittersweet tunes like "I'm Gonna Live Anyhow" and "The Trial" call to mind Mum or Morr Music acts such as Borko; still elsewhere, the lush romanticism of "The Gutter"'s dream pop recalls Saturdays=Youth-era M83 and the odd mix of screaming, toy piano, and glockenspiel on "Exit 25 Block 20" seems like something Fuck Buttons would attempt. While Tiersen tries on different approaches for size on each of Skyline's songs, his nimble melodic sense and unfailing skill at evoking the right mood at the right time are unmistakable. Skyline isn't as obviously dark as Dust Lane was, but melancholy pervades the entire album, welling to the surface on "Hesitation Wound," where Tiersen's frail voice drifts farther and farther away from the listener and into a galaxy of strafing synths. While this album and Dust Lane sacrifice some of his recognizable sound, the possibilities laid open for Tiersen are too intriguing not to pursue. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	04/17/2012
Label:	ANTI
UPC:	0045778719914

Tracks

1. Another Shore
2. I'm Gonna Live Anyhow
3. Monuments
4. The Gutter
5. Exit 25 Block 20
6. Hesitation Wound
7. Forgive Me
8. The Trial
9. Vanishing Point

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Yann Tiersen   Primary Artist,Bass,Drums,Piano,Guitar,Violin,Vocals,Voices,Barking,Marimba,Strings,Bouzouki,Mandolin,Sampling,Accordion,Keyboards,Mellotron,Toy Piano,Vibraphone,Synthesizer,Glockenspiel,Guitar (Bass)
Efterklang   Vocals
Dave Collingwood   Drums
Matt Elliott   Guitar,Voices
Peter Broderick   Vocals
Syd Matters   Vocals,Voices
Fabrice Laureau   Choir/Chorus
Stephane Bouvier   Vocals,Clarinet (Bass)
Neil Turpin   Vocals
Robin Allender   Vocals
Daniel James   Vocals
Heather Woods   Vocals
Gaelle Kerrien   Vocals,Voices
Lionel Laquerriere   Vocals
Olavur Jakupsson   Vocals

Technical Credits

Steve Whitfield   Mixing
Ken Thomas   Mixing
Efterklang   Vocal Engineer
Jay Pellicci   Vocal Engineer
Yann Tiersen   Mixing,Composer,Musician
Ray Staff   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Frank Loriou   Artwork,Photography
F.lor   Vocal Engineer,Drum Engineering
Fabrice Laureau   Engineer
Gwen Roujanski   Engineer