French composer Yann Tiersen creates the future of classical music

Yann Tiersen is one of the most influential classical artists of the past 20 years. His ability to incorporate beautiful synths and futuristic sounds into what would be violins and cellos keep classical music fans anticipating what he will experiment with next. 11 5 18 2 5 18 is no exception. The ethereal chord progressions and ambient sounds make it feel like listeners are experiencing an orchestra in 2100.

The album kicks off with the titled track, “11 5 18 2 5 18.” The track begins with groaning ambient soundscapes and creaky, distorted string instruments. Then, seemingly out-of-no-where, The string instruments give way to a heavenly-sounding piano/synth solo that transitions with a glitchy filter. The next song, “11 5 18. 1 12. 12 15 3 8,” is a continuation of the ethereal aesthetic. The most interesting part about this track is the ’80s-sounding synths that sound like they came out of a 16-bit SNES game. The third track, “1 18. 13 1 14 5 18. 11 15 26 8,” takes a complete left turn. It starts with industrial sounds and what sounds like a distorted voice. Then an oscillating synth fills the background as other synth progressions dance around from ear to ear. This transitions into the next track, “3 8 1 16 20 5 18. 14 9 14 5 20 5 5 14,” continues the eerier tones, albeit, with a bit more aggressive and jarring tones.

The sixth track, “11 5 18 12 1 14 14,” is a return to the form of the first two tracks. The ambient sounds give way to Tiersen playing angelic chords on the piano. This is one of the most “classical-sounding” tracks on the album. Tracks seven and eight carry the same tone, however, they proceed the most unique track, “13 1 18 25 (6 5 1 20. 17 21 9 14 17 21 9 19).” It features vocals from QUINQUIS, and they are heavily filtered to sound more industrial. The track sounds like it came from an art-pop album.

All in all, there could have been more with this album. There was a lot of wasted potential with the aesthetic Tiersen was going for. In many instances, it sounds too much like his previous work, with the last track sounding out of place in the established soundscape. While it was a cool experience to listen to, there could have been more to enjoy with this album.