Yann Tiersen Gets Gruff Rhys, Stephen O'Malley, Blonde Redhead for New Album 'Portrait'

The LP finds the composer revisiting his past works alongside a cast of new collaborators

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished Oct 7, 2019

Having delivered his All album earlier this year, Yann Tiersen will now reexamine work from across his career with a second new full-length effort.

Titled Portrait, the album will arrive December 6 through Mute. The 25-track set finds the French composer reinterpreting tracks from across his entire career with contributions from Super Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys, Sunn O)))'s Stephen O'MalleyBlonde Redhead, John Grant, Emilie Tiersen, Ólavur Jákupsson and more. Three new songs are also included in the tracklist.

"The apparent lightness or simplicity of some of my tracks has always been a disguise or reaction to their darker side," Tiersen explained in a statement. "I feel that Portrait puts my tracks in context again so people can listen to my music and see it for what it is and not for what it's been used for."

Tiersen conceived Portrait while touring in support of All, realizing how new versions of the songs tied his career-spanning setlists together. Rerecording older material allowed him to capture the work in an analog format, while more recent tracks found Tiersen reexamining themes and meanings.

Alongside the announcement, Tiersen has shared the O'Malley-assisted "Introductory Movement" and the Rhys-equipped "Monochrome," both of which can be heard below.

Double CD, cassette and digital editions of Portrait will arrive December 6, while a triple-vinyl edition will arrive December 20 on clear and black wax. The album is now available for pre-order.

Portrait:

1. Introductory Movement (ft. Stephen O'Malley)
2. The Long Road (La Longue Route)
3. Monochrome (ft. Gruff Rhys)
4. Chapter 19 (ft. Ólavur Jákupsson)
5. Rue des Cascades (ft. Ólavur Jákupsson)
6. The Old Man Still Wants It
7. Gwennilied (ft. Emilie Tiersen)
8. Prad (ft. Stephen O'Malley)
9. Diouz An Noz (ft. Emilie Tiersen & Ólavur Jákupsson)
10. Porz Goret
11. La Dispute
12. Pell (ft. Emilie Tiersen)
13. Erc'h (ft. Ólavur Jákupsson)
14. The Wire (Sur le Fil)
15. The Waltz of the Monsters (ft. Emilie Tiersen)
16. Closer (ft. Blonde Redhead)
17. Naval
18. The Jetty
19. Koad (ft. Ólavur Jákupsson)
20. Prayer No.2
21. Gronjord (ft. Ólavur Jákupsson)
22. Kala (ft. Ólavur Jákupsson)
23. Comptine d'Un Autre Été (L'Après-Midi)
24. Tempelhof (Part 2)
25. Thinking Like A Mountain (ft. John Grant & Stephen O'Malley)


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