11 5 18 2 5 18

Album review

Though Yann Tiersen's music is no stranger to electronics, they've never been the focus of his music quite the way they are on 11 5 18 2 5 18. Created while preparing for his late 2021 live set at Superbooth, a Berlin festival celebrating synthesizers and modular gear, the album is both a continuation and a departure for Tiersen. His previous album Kerber fused delicate piano melodies with ambient washes and textures, a direction he embellishes on with the softly drifting "11 5 18 12 1 14 14," but more often than not, 11 5 18 2 5 18 provides new perspectives on Tiersen's time-tested strengths. The heartrending melody of "16 15 21 12 12. 2 15 10 5 18" harks back to early works like Le Valse des Monstres, but the John Carpenter-like arpeggiated synths and syncopated beats that surround it sound unlike anything else in his body of work. Just how propulsive 11 5 18 2 5 18 is may come as a shock to longtime fans: the album's title track combines tones that flicker like rainbows refracted through cracked glass with a heavy, thrusting beat that borders on industrial, while the joyous anticipation and momentum "11 5 18. 1 12. 12 15 3 8" builds wouldn't be out of place at a rave. Though the move to the dance floor is the most surprising thing about the album, it's not necessarily the most interesting. At times, the insistent rhythms hinder the swift, subtle shifts in melody and mood that make Tiersen's music so compelling, and the way many of the tracks inevitably build to a four-on-the-floor beat becomes repetitive, robbing otherwise intriguing pieces like "1 18. 13 1 14 5 18. 11 15 26 8" of some of their impact. Nevertheless, 11 5 18 2 5 18 has some genuinely unexpected moments. The tracks with vocals -- which haven't featured prominently in Tiersen's work since 2019's ALL -- are among the highlights, with the ethereal female vocals on "13 1 18 25 (6 5 1 20. 17 21 9 14 17 21 9 19)" adding a graceful complement to its driving pulse and the darkwave leanings of "3 8 1 16 20 5 18. 14 9 14 5 20 5 5 14" suggesting that a collaboration between Tiersen and TR/ST could be magic. While the new approaches he uses on 11 5 18 2 5 18 aren't always as distinctive as his previous work, it's still worth hearing for fans of his compositional skills, which remain strong despite the album's changes.
© Heather Phares /TiVo