#spectacles bonzai

The band name roughly translates to angina or, as the English translation of their Bandcamp bio terms it when describing what their sound is similar to, “the delicious, throbbing tightness that precedes a heart attack.” Decked out in polka dots and elaborate papier-mâché masks, Khn hitting his effect and loop pedals with bare feet while playing microtonal runs on his double neck guitar/bass, Klek visibly peering out from what otherwise might be a mouth (proboscis wobbling floppily away above) as he emulates a particularly funky metronome, both professing a love for pyramids, hot dogs, and rock and roll: it must be admitted, whatever else you think of their music, the whole thing is pretty funny. (Not for nothing do they claim inspiration from Andy Kaufman, call their music “Dada Pythago-Cubist Mantra-Rock,” and attract YouTube comments like “Absolutely insane usage of free will.”)

And yet/but also, there’s the actual music. There have been tons of prog rockers, Zappa disciples, music theory aficionados, etc. over the years that have played material roughly this wonky, with varying degrees of success (some of us have very little appetite for most of it, some will take second helpings of it all). Where Angine de Poitrine truly stand out, what has made them more than a weird video that a bunch of people watched once and then forgot about, is that all 37 minutes of Vol.II both rocks and kinda swings. While the clear prog and math rock influences are absolutely relevant here, relying on just them would miss something about the overall ethos. Imagine a spot halfway between the more aggro moments of Australian sax/drums duo Party Dozen and the austere “organic techno” of Japanese power trio Nisennenmondai, and you’re kind of there.

There’s more to say about the duo, their music, and the weird spot in contemporary music they find themselves occupying (everything from analyses of what blowing up so fast can do to a group to accounts of how they truly could only be from Quebec) than could ever fit in a record review, but it’s also crucial to note that all of that is ultimately secondary. Angine de Poitrine makes mostly instrumental rock music that roils, thrashes, bobs and weaves, pulses, jitters, soars, and drags you along for the ride. That sound is just as infectious as their thoroughly goofy presentation; if you suspect you might be even a little on their wavelength, you owe it to yourself to give Vol.II a listen.