Flush It Friday: What Can We Learn From Angine de Poitrine?
The world has fallen in love with microtonal bullshit and this guy’s polka-dotted grippers (and here’s why that’s a good thing)
It’s been said for a while now that rock is dead, at least in terms of the modern zeitgeist. Truth be told, this has really only been half true. As pop and hip hop have reigned dominate since the fall of rock radio, both genres have shown a clear admiration for the tropes and sounds of the good old rock and roll and its various sub-styles (think artists like Kid Cudi, Olivia Rodrigo, MGK, etc. (regardless of quality for that last one)). Beyond that, the world of indie rock has lived on in the shadow of contemporary pop since the 2000s. The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, and Tame Impala, just to name a few, have managed to traverse the ebbs and flows of a post-Nickleback world and the continuing fracture of what we would have once called a mono-culture. Yet, none of these listed artists could have prepared the world for the overnight success of the Quebec math rock goof balls Angine de Poitrine. Containing two French Canadians LARPing as interdimensional travelers, this act has seemingly broken down the barriers of what could be considered commercially viable—there’s no way a board room of record executives would have ever believed that a couple of psychedelic GWAR rejects playing anatolian, microtonal jams in bizarre time signatures would rack up ten millions views in two months for a KEXP performance.
This isn’t to say that the work of Angine de Poitrine has no basis in the known musical landscape. The duo is cut from a pretty similar cloth as a group like Ween in terms of ethos: two freaks playing their experimental rock with heavy layers of psychedelia and conceptualism. Their visual identity is clearly informed by surrealist and dadaist art, as well as theatrical costume rock like the previously-mentioned GWAR. Sonically, the group takes notes from classic krautrock and progressive rock groups while also benefiting greatly from the strides accomplished by fellow surprisingly-mainstream-freaks King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. Gizzard’s records like Flying Microtonal Banana and Nonagon Infinity walked in funny time sigs so that Angine could slither onto the scene. Regardless of who helped prime the world for these aliens, it’s clear that their work has clearly resonated at a time where it couldn’t be harder for independent artists to stand out (yes, even if they look like that).
So, what can we learn from Angine de Poitrine? I suppose that dedicated listeners in the mainstream are more discerning than one would normally figure. In a world firmly in the grasp of the eternally confounding TikTok and other such difficult to predict social media platforms, virality can lead to success for unlikely characters. The beauty of experimental Canadians inspired by Gentle Giant and Amon Düül II gaining infamy outside of the smelly masses of RateYourMusic.com is hard to overstate, showing that our current cultural moment can be truly great for artists outside the confines of focus-tested bullshit and AI-generated trash. On the other hand, we can probably learn that TikTok is also very great for silly gimmicks that will most likely be passé in the next three years. I hope I am wrong about this, but I’m not sure if the novelty of these freakish, albeit very talented, clowns will necessarily last.
Regardless, Angine de Poitrine illustrates something pretty simple: the youths yearn for the unpredictable, the zany, and the intriguing and, just maybe, that’s a sign of hope for the future of music. This can also be seen in the commercial viability of other zoomer-rock acts like Geese and the various Windmill Scene-adjacent groups (Black MIDI/Gordie Greep, Black Country, New Road, etc.) That said, even if you can’t get down with Angine de Poitrine, I’ll take a billion Quebec space creatures over any more algorithmically crafted lo-fi beats or Drake-style same-y slop.
But enough about microtonality and zoomers, it’s time for a good ol’ fashioned Friday Flush!!!
Monday Phlush??? Tuesday Toiletwave???? Don’t mind if I do!
Investing all of my Maynardcoin in Toilet Radio:
Falxy gives a review for the final At The Gates album with Tomas Lindberg. Massive RIP to Tompa, the one and only:
For those about to gurgle, we slam you. I reviewed the new Ecchymosis full length:
Review: Ecchymosis – Thanatocorporeal Sculptures of Cryogenic Excruciation
A slower week is deserving of a flush all the same. Drop your G-B-U or U-R-Lame and, most importantly, have a safe and happy week.
