Lovely
S. C. Watson | WA | 11/02/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Yann Tiersen's music is lovely and imaginative. I was eager to get this particular album since it wasn't as available as some of his others. La Valse des Monstres is a bit darker or more serious than the Amelie soundtrack--however it does contain two or three songs from Amelie. The songs easily blend into one another vs. the soundtrack from Amelie where each signified a scene.
Sounds a bit odd, but I think this is perfect music for children. I can imagine reading some of Maurice Sendak's books while this was playing in the background. I think that if I were young and heard this album, it would have definitely been a favorite and I'm sure I would have wanted to replicate some of the sounds that I heard. Tiersen's uses a variety of instruments (toy piano adding a lot to this album) and waltzes are often used as backdrops for newer sounds. I saw a review that compared Tiersen to Philip Glass, and I found no resemblance between the two--sure, they're both experimental instrumentalists, but Tiersen's is easy to listen to and contemplative, while I find Glass' work a bit hair-raising and stark (at anyrate, they're very, very different)."
Le Fabuleux destin d'Yann Tiersen
Robert Carlberg | Seattle | 05/26/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I first became aware of Brest musician Yann Tiersen when he was compared to Penguin Cafe Orchestra, and only later made the connection that he'd also done the "Amelie" soundtrack which I'd remembered liking. However a much better likeness is to compare him to fellow French "naive" musician Pascal Comelade, since both feature toy pianos, simple repeating melodies and minimal production techniques. Both are multi-instrumentalists and essentially one-man bands playing music which could be described as child-like or intentionally naive. Penguin Cafe can be joyfully innocent but I don't think of them as naive. Other comparisons I've heard -- Nino Rota and Erik Satie -- don't hold up either for similar reasons.
Tiersen's variety of instrumentation -- keyboards, accordion, guitar, melodica, violin -- mean his albums don't get too monotonous, despite the rather simplistic origins. There is something quintessentially "French" about Tiersen's music, which if you're in the mood can be delightful."
Track Listings (17) - Disc #1