Yann Tiersen has just signed to Anti-Records. Tiersen is a renowned and startlingly unique artist whose early albums merged cutting edge classical with flourishes of folk with the bristly energy of post punk. And while these works attracted a dedicated fan base, it was his soundtrack to the beloved indie film "Amelie" which introduced Tiersen to a far wider audience.Since then Tiersen has continued to attract fans with a continuously evolving sound and memorable live performances at everything from distinguished concert halls to rock festivals including a recent appearance at this years Coachella Music and Arts Festival in California. A collaboration between Tiersen and hip-hop artist Sage Francis "The Best Of Times" proved a breakout track, with several prominent English DJs debuting the song to an overwhelmingly audience response.
Tiersen's new album Dustlane is the result of an intensive two year creative process in which Tiersen not only composed the songs but played every instrument besides drums. It began with acoustic guitars, mandolin, banjo, bouzouki and toy drums followed by the addition of electric guitars and bass and finally the incorporation of the vintage analogue synthesizers of Tiersen's post punk youth.
"I was a teenager during the late eighties and early nineties and was a huge fan of the analog synth," Tiersen explains. "I have several synths that love so much at home and so I started to spend my days in front of the beautiful knobs of my Prophet 5 and my Moog and oh!! miracle, it suddenly seemed so natural to add their texture to Dustlane. I really love the space they bring to the album."
The album's vocals are a combination of atmospheric choruses as well as Matt Elliot (who has worked with Mogwai, Blonde Redhead, Thurston Moore, The Pastels) providing dramatic narration on several tracks including "Chapter 19" which excerpts the writer Henry Miller. "Henry Miller is perhaps my favorite writer," Tiersen explains. "He changed my perception of life during my youth as much as the punk and post punk bands did. And with his low deep voice and Bristol accent Matt did an absolutely perfect job. "
The end result is a sonically expansive and emotionally powerful album that, like Tiersen's renowned career, defies easy categorization. As Anti-Records president Andy Kaulkin explains, "We are genuinely excited to be working with an artist of Yann Tiersen's immense talents. He is an incredibly innovative artist who breaks down boundaries and can't be put in a box and we hope to do a wide variety of projects with him. "
