Biography
The Parisian post-rock/experimental quartet Cyann & Ben formed in 2001. Its lineup featured Cyann on vocals and keyboards, Ben on guitar, Loïc handling guitar and keyboards, and Charlie supplying percussion along with samples. The four musicians craft an intimate, cinematic soundscape that blends lush textures with shifting ambient approaches and analog timbres. Within their first year together the band issued a self-released debut before securing a deal with the French label Gooom Disques. In spring 2002 the musicians regrouped in the French countryside to track their official first album, completing the sessions for Spring in five weeks; the record surfaced in summer 2003. The following spring Locust Music, impressed by the group’s inventive instrumental focus, added Cyann & Ben to its roster and reissued Spring stateside that March. While those reissue plans moved forward, the quartet had already begun shaping a follow-up that incorporated denser dissonant passages and more developed pop sensibilities than their earlier work. The resulting effort, Happy Like an Autumn Tree, showcased their post-rock craftsmanship and reached listeners in October 2004. Sweet Beliefs was scheduled to arrive in March 2007.