Missed Opportunity...Yann Tiersen

Every now and then, a show will roll through town that I inevitably miss for one reason or another (read "lack of funds or failing to get my act together before it's sold out"). Tonight's example; French composer and burgeoning rocker Yann Tiersen, whose credits include the film scores for Goodbye Lenin, Tabarly, and most famously, Amelie.

Tiersen's instrumental compositions are dreamlike; dizzying waltzes and piano ballads brimming with emotion and whimsy. Accordian, violin, and melodica lend a playful and parisienne element to his music, which can be plaintive and sad one moment...frantic and exuberant the next. His is a unique and dramatic sound, one perfectly suited for use in film scoring, yet strong enough to stand on its own merits when removed from the context of the films.

As beautiful as his instrumental work may be, it is the indie-rocker persona that Tiersen is presenting on his current North American tour, ditching the accordian in favour of an electric guitar and kicking out les jams. While the electric guitar and bass turned up sparaingly on his last studio album, Les Retrouvailles, Tiersen has come to fully embrace the rock-combo configuration as documented on his newest release On Tour, for which he is now..uh...on tour.

As exciting as it would have been to see Tiersen tonight, I'll have to settle for this great clip of him performing the song "Le Moulin" from the Amelie soundtrack.

Enjoy!