Chest Pains, Musical Gains

A colleague at work pointed me to Angine De Poitrine and said that I might like them. They were right.

The duo from Saguenay, Québec, Canada take mysterious to a level that Daft Punk could only dream and join Robyn Hitchcock and Strawberry Switchblade in that select group that make polka dots cool.

The band name literally translates as Angina Pectoris and the blurb on Bandcamp explains more, but not much more:

By awakening the notes that sleep deep in the cracks between the piano keys, 

these two incongruous beings with large papier-mâché faces 

will make you feel an auditory stimulus comparable 

to the delicious and throbbing tightness 

that precedes a heart attack.

I thankfully can't speak from personal experience of the latter, but the sound that 'brothers' Khn De Poitrine (microtonal guitars) and Klek De Poitrine (percussion) make is incredibly infectious and incredibly groovy.

From a deceptively simple set up, the music takes in a tour of genres, one moment prog rock, the next big beat, the next psychedelia in extremis, yet never sounding like a mish-mash or an idea in search of a song. 

I've only heard a handful of their songs so far but, given that the Canadian dollar to UK sterling exchange rate (plus 20% digital discography discount) means that I can buy both albums - efficiently titled Vol. I and Vol. II - for around a tenner, it's worth taking the plunge.

Heading up the post is a 4-song set that Angine De Poitrine recorded for KEXP last December, during the Les Trans Musicales in Rennes, France. As such, the channel dispenses with the usual set-and-interview format to give space for just shy of 28 minutes of music.

The set comprises the first three songs from Vol. II, in reverse chronological order naturally, closing with their debut single (and opener of Vol. I).

1) Sarniezz

2) Mata Zyklek

3) Fabienk

4) Sherpa

As an added incentive, if you need it, I've added the closing song from Vol. I.

Angine De Poitrine are touring to promote Vol. II, including a date a Strange Brew in Bristol in May, though sadly long sold out by the time I had been introduced to their music. Maybe I'll head to Bristol anyway, stand outside and peer through the window, whilst the music poursa out into the street...