We have to talk about Angine de Poitrine

One of the things I've come to love about living in the Seattle area, is the greatness of KEXP, the local public radio station. Public radio tends to be eclectic for sure, but I think KEXP takes it to another level. And they do it with such high production value as well. It's really good, even when it's stuff you might not be a fan of.

So, KEXP is well-known for their live, in-studio performances, many of which are truly amazing. It's along the lines of the NPR Tiny Desk series, but full volume, and many times punching you right in the face. It's definitely worth checking out.

Anyway, this KEXP concert featuring Angine de Poitrine showed up in my YouTube feed this morning...

I clicked on it mainly because of the poster image, thinking this was going to be a couple of weirdos and a huge trainwreck. Well... I could not have been more wrong.

Formed in 2024, Angine de Poitrine (French for "Angina") is a "math rock" band from Quebec, Ontario, Canada. Honestly, I don't know much more about them than that, like "who they are" or "why they are". Their rep's website refers to them as the following:

Asymmetrical and dissonant, Angine de Poitrine’s music makes hearts race and bodies move with ecstatic abandon. Through tight, pulsing drum grooves and intricate tangles of double-neck microtonal guitar, the band summons swirling vortices of hypnotic sound and vision. Three essential forces fuel the inspiration of the duo: acid techno, disco, and rock.

I think that's about as close as I could come to describing it.

Sadly, many people will see this and immediately write them off as a gimmick, but what they are doing is actually SO difficult. Sure, it's pretty strange sounding - certainly not like what you're going to hear on pop radio or anything - but there is a real purpose and talent behind it. To be able to manage layer upon layer of loops like that, in a live setting, and do it so perfectly and so tightly, is really astonishing to me.

While the guitarist - whoever he is - is more visually stunning, using every limb almost simultaneously to produce the wall of sounds coming from his microtonal rig, the drummer - again, whoever he is - matches him perfectly. To be able to play as well as he does, with that ridiculous costume and floppy-nosed helmet, takes substantial talent. It's obvious that they've committed to this crazy ride, and have put the time and effort into it to make it amazing. It has to be amazing, otherwise it would just be a silly bit.

Anyway, give the performance a shot. I'm really interested to see where this thing goes. I'm a huge fan of creativity. Thank you, KEXP! Keep up the good work!