gnac
ltm catalogue

GNAC (pronounced niak, as in the last syllable of cognac) is the enigmatic instrumental guise of Mark Tranmer, who is also one half of the Montgolfier Brothers. GNAC albums include Friend Sleeping (1999), Sevens (1999), Biscuit Barrel Fashion (2001), Soviet Bureau (2004), Twelve Sidelong Glances (2006) and The Arrival of the Fog (2007). Click here for artist biography. Click here to purchase CDs.


THE ARRIVAL OF THE FOG (LTMCD 2491)
All new album (2007) featuring 70 minutes of exquisite instrumental material, including the extended bonus mini-suite Bright Days In Winter. The Arrival of the Fog itself centres on ten pieces recorded in Tokyo, Osaka, Wollongong and Hebden Bridge between October 2006 and May 2007. The moods vary from Barry to Roubaix, Reilly to Delerue. All tracks written, arranged and produced by Mark Tranmer. The sleeve references Belgian Surrealist E.L.T. Mesens. Full tracklist: The Arrival of the Fog, Nautical Episodes, Japanese Fiction, Vetchinsky Backdrop, Vertical Features, Horizontal Happiness, Winter Circus, What to Make of Jagged Graphs, Examples of Bad Driving, Cliques and Clusters, Bright Days in Winter, Winter Blanket.

Reviews: "This lush, moody set suggests a combination of Italian film music, mid-period Brian Eno and maybe even a splash of Erik Satie in places, evoking the standard music-for-a-film-yet-to-be-made comparison by tired rock hacks" (Yahoo Music Blogs, 10/07); "Lady Beauty *1" (Vogue.com, 12/07); "As dark as it is hopeful, The Arrival of the Fog is full of emotive contradictions. Gnac offers a beautiful and haunting album dripping in stoic melancholia and defiant solitude" (Rant, 11/07); "Dreamy, pastoral and cinematic - it's clear that simplicity and beauty is what Tranmer does best" (The Insight, 11/07); "Tranmer conjures up a cinematographic world, sometimes suggestive of Air, in which the absence of vocals is more than compensated for by the class of his compositions" (PopNews, 11/07); "An artist who seems out of time in many respects, TAOTF sees Tranmer in largely sombre form. Horizontal Happiness uses unusual instruments to make beautifully unique melodies, What To Make of Jagged Graphs is another grand affair, while the finale Cliques & Clusters is pastoral and lovely. Winter Blanket is possibly his most haunting offering yet, and enough to tempt fans of his previous work" (Leonard's Lair, 11/2007); "Like a soundtrack to that cool arthouse film you never managed to see, this collection of mellow grooves includes the wonderful mock John Barry posturing in the title track and Bright Days In Winter, all plush electronic instrumentation and majestic yet tasteful melody, and a flirtation with the sophistication of ambient Gallic chill out grooves with Nautical Episodes." (The Scotsman, 12/2007); "His music is still as compelling as ever, perhaps even more so than before. The 12 tracks are more musically varied than previously and he has given himself more room to stretch out - five- and six-minute songs are common, and there are even a couple that check in at over ten. And they never feel too long because he's always taking listeners on a journey with a destination in mind. Tranmer's best album to date" (Exclaim!, 12/2007); "Twelve pristine, beautifuly melodic, filmic compositions that are full of hints of John Barry, Craig Armstrong, Philip Glass, Yann Tiersen, Lemon Jelly and King of Woolworths. Entirely convincing, and impeccable production" (Yorkshire Evening Post, 12/2007); "A long album, more sober than Twelve Sidelong Glances, yet light and almost weightless - much like the fog alluded to in the title. We eagerly anticipate the view after the fog lifts"(Rockdelux, 12/2007); "Gnac make moody instrumental records influenced in part by serious post-rockers like Durutti Column. His fifth album sounds like the soundtrack to a lost arthouse noir film, and makes for an absorbing, atmospheric soundscape" (The Times, 01/2008); "Haunting strings and thoughtful melodies are present throughout, classical sounds are interwoven with contemporary production to great effect" (Traffic, 01/2008); "Tranmer is a man of his craft, he creates aural scenes with seasoned verve. Gnac songs are a testament to how practiced he is at meticulously building tracks, combining his ideas into a cohesive narrative. Musically, Tranmer seems to have an awful lot to say, and to those with an attentive ear the rewards are obvious. With the investment of the attention it deserves, fans of instrumental music from Do Make Say Think to Isis should find all 70 minutes of The Arrival of The Fog an intensely pleasurable listening experience" (The Line of Best Fit, 01/2008); "Tranmer makes soft noise albums that pull influence from cinema, literature and the change in weather, and Arrival really is an impressive offering" (Buzz, 01/2008); "Superb - deeply affecting mood music that defies categorisation" (Nude, 03/2008)


TWELVE SIDELONG GLANCES (LTMCD 2446) £10
TSG is the third album proper from GNAC, and will appeal to all dedicated followers of Biscuit Barrel Fashion. The witty, sophisticated instrumental bases covered include imaginary mid-week, mid-afternoon murder mystery music (Midgley Moor), electronica melodica (Green With Fright) and vespertine guitar (As Night Falls Upon Us). Also included are two themes commissioned by Neen Scene visual artists, including Vanessa Beecroft's Wedding, first performed at her wedding ceremony in Italy. Sleeve design by Benoit Hennebert. 17 tracks, 61 minutes of music. Full tracklist: Spanish Winter, From Cougorge to Gougougnac, Observed vs Expected, Chenin Blanc, Perec's Beard, As Night Falls Upon Us, Midgley Moor, Twenty-Second Night, Brouillard, Telebanco, Rocky Road, Shinjuku Park, Vanessa Beecroft's Wedding, Green With Fright, The Struggle, Cold Flower, Obstacles of Course

Reviews: "Twelve Sidelong Glances continues in the vein of moodily elegant instrumental releases from earlier years, but with smokier, almost late-night jazz edge. The blend of piano, strings and vibes on Spanish Winter and the drama-laden opening of Shinjuku Park, with keyboards creating an instantly mood-setting feel, hit perfectly. Twelve Sidelong Glances (actually 17 tracks all told) often feels like a soundtrack to a film and intermission music during the breaks (the organ track on From Cougorge to Gougougnac in particular seems like it should be accompanied by an announcement about where to get treats in the lobby). The quieter pieces - Chenin Blanc, Telebanco - readily call to mind another master of understated work, Vini Reilly of the Durutti Column. Twelve Sidelong Glances' greatest strengths lie in its deft touches - how Perec's Beards' restrained organ and sense of hush evoke a rundown seaside funhouse, for instance. Meanwhile there's also the sweetly unabashed romanticism of Twenty-Second Night, and the slightly spacey synth tones of Green With Fright feel like a radar broadcast in the night, giving a gentler, less threatening touch to the album as a whole, as well as evoking the sly sweetness of the album title" (Billboard, 05/06); "Beautiful, haunting, imaginary, instrumental Miss Marple murder mystery music from the Montgolfier Brother" (Plan B, 6-7/06) "Mark Tranmer makes a form of easy listening that is both intelligent and strangely compelling, and Twelve Sidelong Glances is his most consistent offering yet" (Leonard's Lair, 05/06); "Now we have the first new Gnac material in ages. To get the most out of this you'll need a darkened room, a red velvet plush chair and a foot stool. You'll need to be wearing a dressing gown and have a pipe at hand (or in mouth). On the table beside you there should be an ashtray, a glass of cognac, a pot of tea (with optional additional biscuit). The final ingredient will be a murder mystery story, Hercule Poirot and Agatha Christie. Easy on the ear and that. Well lovely" (normanrecords, 5/06); "On this album Gnac revisit vintage soundtrack influences (Roubaix, Morricone), and deliver a set of melancholic, minimalist vignettes. A beautiful set of contemplative pop to dream by" (PopNews, 6/06); "There's not much here that could be described as commercial, but there's no denying Tranmer's talent. Twelve Sidelong Glances sounds like a very good easy listening compilation, with a wealth of different moods and styles represented. There will be occasions when it's hard to imagine a better soundtrack than this" (Exclaim!, 7/06); "Tranmer doesn't deviate from his exquisite instrumental path, which now stretches from Spain (Spanish Winter) to Japan (Shinjuku Park) via France (Brouillard). En route, in the twilight, we glimpse shadows of Francois de Roubaix, Vini Reilly and Maurice Deebank, and hear sensual electronica, discrete arrangements, scintillating arpegios and furtive percussion. Not least among the attractions on Twelve Sidelong Glances is that it's recommended bedroom listening" (Magic, 6/06); "Cinematic, brilliantly melodic and stylistically diverse" (More Russia, 8/06); "Soft and pleasant, with piano, synth pads, percussion that persists into an infinity of simple beats and rubbery effects. This is one calm lake from beginning to end" (brainwashed, 7/06); "A new collection of pop vignettes of overwhelming beauty that draw on minimalism, nouvelle vague soundtracks and intimate and ethereal English pop. Intensely romantic and lighter than air, but it manages to escape from muzak thanks to Tranmer's knack for melody and emotional density" (Rockdelux, 9/06)


SEVENS bis (LTMCD 2477) £10
The second Gnac album from 1999, including rare 7" single sides released on Amberley, Earworm, Liquefaction and Kooky. This new 2007 edition on LTM has been remastered by Mark Tranmer with three bonus cuts. Think John Barry meets John le Carre in a French film blurred. 17 instrumental tracks, 71 minutes of music, new artwork by Roger Quigley. Full tracklist: Legrand Illusion, The Broken Fall, Armchair Thriller, Another Fine Mess, 1958, Difficult Loves, A Tangle With..., The Moustache, Heliotrope, Our Distance, Ves 004, Soviet Bureau, Repetition, And Now It's So Much Colder, The Man With the Laugh Like a Rusty Hinge, Une Chanson du Crepuscule (Twilight Version), Hennebert Sleeve (Twilight Version).

Reviews: "Compelling imaginary soundtracks, lovely liquid records. This 1999 collection now resurfaces in expanded form, adding singles and compilation cuts to its original if-John-Barry-was-French theme. Spellbinding highlights such as Legrand Illusion and Une Chanson du Crepuscule spell it out, but all else about this hanging, evocative music, which can make a single piano or guitar miniature echo an orchestra bringing the noir into a Melville film, is subtlety incarnate. Four stars"(Uncut, 03/07); "To describe Gnac's music is much like trying to put Mark Rothko's ominous, floating canvases into some frame of reference along with the rest of the art world. Playful, childlike and innocent, but betraying a wholly adult creator in its darker timbres" (Record Collector, 03/07); "Immaculate" (Juke Box, 03/07); "An agreeably fragile introduction to the Gnac sound, with plenty of wistful atmosphere and haunting reverb regardless of whether a song performed primarily on guitar or on piano. Highlights include The Broken Fall (a fine electric/acoustic guitar overdub), Armchair Thriller (a sedate Johny Barry-esque spy movie theme, vibes echoing into the distance) and A Tangle With (the combined feel of serenity and sadness is a wonder to behold)" (All Music Guide, 1999); "He may be a statistics wizard by day, but at night Mark Tranmer forgets all about subtraction and multiple numbers to turn his hand to composing magical instrumental tracks - music that is rich, compelling and surprisingly emotional. No words are necessary: the music alone wraps itself around you like a gigantic, velvet cloak. Imagine a classical composer like Debussy trying to make his first pop record, or Michael Nyman adapting Drowning by Numbers for an easy listening crowd. That's the mysterious sound of Gnac" (City Life, 1999); "Recommended" (Rough Trade Shops, 11/06); "Intriguing, tasteful and understated, all chiming synths and electronic strings. Library music from a fictitious French 70's film?" (Record Collector, 5/99); "Gentle piano-led soundtracker with an ear for melody" (Jockey Slut, 03/99); "An ideal introduction to Tranmer's sound, an emotive soundtrack to a somewhat innocent brand of melancholia" (Leonard's Lair, 02/07)

Go to GNAC biography

Go to shopping/mailorder

Return to LTM homepage