Angine de Poitrine are essentially the most thrilling Canadian thriller since David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds. Although the nameless Québécois duo had been gigging quietly across the Nice White North for years, a single KEXP session final December at France’s Rennes Pageant quickly made them viral superstars. In bobbing paper-mâché masks and monochromatic wardrobes, these two “space-time voyagers”—recognized solely as Klek de Poitrine and Khn de Poitrine—make weirdly danceable math-rock for muffled drums and comically fretted microtonal guitar. Self-described as a “Mantra-Rock Dada Pythagorean-Cubist Orchestra,” they’ve managed to rack up higher view counts than the Tiny Desk Concert events from Clipse and Weezer. A duplicate of their debut, 2024’s Vol. I, has already bought for greater than $1,500 on Discogs. YouTube commentator Rick Beato addressed the feeling in a video referred to as “Please STOP Sending Me This.” Dates on their first U.S. and Europe tour are promoting out in minutes. Someway, the most well liked rock band on this planet sound like a funk-metal Ruins and appear like they snuck a double-necked guitar onto the set of Beetlejuice.
Their sudden, overwhelming success looks like one thing of a fluke since none of their apparent touchpoints are remotely trendy. There’s positively slightly King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard of their hypnotic churn and microtonal melodies, however past that, you’re swerving into critical dorkery: Suppose the ill-angled prog jabberwocky of ’70s French zeuhl bands like Magma or Artwork Zoyd; the demented herky-jerk of ’80s outsiders like Renaldo and the Loaf or Zoogz Rift; the heady grooves of Primus, Self-discipline-era King Crimson, or early Battles; the costumed efficiency noise of ’00s loft-punx like Forcefield, or the equally two-toned Yip-Yip; possibly even the spate of Turkish psych-rock reissues that began rising round 20 years in the past. The band rides for Arto Lindsay and gamelan data but in addition Light Large’s hyper-intricate prog, and John Scofield’s Bonnaroo-funk outing Überjam.
No rating but, be the primary so as to add.
The primary three tracks on Vol. II present correct studio variations of their four-song KEXP set (the honking, space-choogle “Sherpa” opened Vol. I). All three are stellar examples of the band’s polyrhythm video games. Angine will not be Dillinger Escape Plan or Bare Metropolis leaping wildly between time signatures—a loop pedal serves because the third member of the band, so each tune is mostly locked right into a pulse. As an alternative, Angine de Poitrine are extra like Meshuggah or Daybreak of Midi, establishing a meter after which creating rhythmic illusions utilizing artistic bursts of syncopation. Opener “Fabienk” is an easy 7/8. What makes Angine de Poitrine particular is how they wiggle and writhe inside that construction, filling the grid with bizarre rhythmic curlicues, ill-timed accents, and unlikely hooklets. Khn’s riffs span giant gulfs of time so that they lose their acquainted form, punctuating the air in unusual polygons. “Sarniezz” is a fundamental 6/8, it solely sounds bizarre as a result of it takes Khn 4 bars till he repeats his Frith-ian melody and Klek alternates between swung time and conventional 4/4 caveman pound. Once they lean again and sledgehammer that random second sixteenth be aware subdivision, it’s like synchronized swimming. The pair declare they’ve been enjoying collectively for 20 years, and their telekinetic bond is clear in these twisted preparations.
