French musician Yann Tiersen is best known to those outside of his

Published 7:00 am Wednesday, April 29, 2009

French musician Yann Tiersen is best known to those outside of his home country as the man who composed the enchanting score to the 2001 film Amelie starring Audrey Tautou. And while Amelie certainly has a cult following of 20-somethings, I could not wrap my mind around the fact that Tiersen did as well. How the hell does a 39-year-old man known for his minimalist compositions sell out a venue such as Neumos? I posed this question to SW’s Gavin Borchert, who studied classical composition in college. “Maybe it’s because he’s European,” he suggested. Not really the insightful answer I was looking for, but let’s roll with it. 20-somethings love Tiersen in all his chain smoking European glory. The man is undoubtedly a musical genius. Tiersen effortlessly alternated between playing the violin, keyboards, and electric guitar during his 90-minute set last night. The shaggy haired Frenchman–who’s actually quite handsome in a melodramatic I-never-shower-because-my-art-takes-up-so-much-time sort of way–rarely interacted with the crowd, except for the occasional shy smile and mumbling of thanks. Tiersen’s material sounded more rock-infused than usual, thanks to an accompanying band consisting of guitarist, keyboard player, drummer, and singer. Stylistically it wasn’t a far cry from the set played by opening act Asobi Seksu. I would’ve preferred Tiersen stick to the his French folk music roots and utilize instruments like the accordion and xylophone more often. That’s what many fans went to hear. But it’s understandable why the guy would want to do something a little more showy in a rock venue. And his flashy violin solos certainly got him a big round of applause. I was more astounded by Tiersen’s rock star appeal than his musical abilites. He had a merchandise table set up at the front of the venue. How many classical composers can pull off selling t-shirts, let alone playing at Neumos? Maybe it’s because he’s European. Maybe it’s thanks to Amelie. Whatever the case may be, Tiersen has got it made. There’s no way a composer like say, Chopin, could’ve gotten away with selling a shirt baring his likeness to a crowd of hipsters without looking like an absolute tool. But Tiersen does it effortlessly. And much like his music, it comes off as rather charming.