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Baker's Dozen

In Place: Yann Tiersen's Favourite Albums
Fred Bowler , November 2nd, 2016 09:56

With his ninth album, EUSA, out now, the French composer and multi-instrumentalist takes Fred Jage-Bowler from the Velvets to Bill Callahan via NEU!, Vashti Bunyan and Joanna Newsom on a tour of his favourite records

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NEU! – NEU!
This isn't my favourite record of all time, but it's definitely the one I've listened to the most. I ended up listening to it every morning for a month or something. On 'Hallogallo' the harmonies are perfect. Or better, they are so natural and peaceful. Everything about that album, the guitar... it's composed really well, just the way Michael Rother forms the songs. The melodies, the rhythmic elements, just everything seems in its right place all the time. It's a really long track and it's very repetitive music, it's not that obvious that it's changing all the time. The different notes forming these different melodies just feel so natural. I guess there's a bit of improvisation as well, but every sound is just in the exact right place. I heard an interview once where [Rother] was comparing NEU!'s music to a water stream. That's exactly what it is: a constant moving fluid.