Is This Too Creative?

I came across a video last week of a French Canadian band called Angine de Poitrine, which, according to Google Translate, roughly translates to “chest pain, discomfort, or pressure caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscle.”

A great band name.

Since watching my first video of them, a live performance from Seattle’s non-profit radio station KEXP, my social media and YouTube feeds have been filled with “reacts” videos of the performance I’ve linked in its entirety below:

At first, I thought they were blowing up and going super viral, but I quickly realized my curated algorithms were skewing my perspective because literally no one I talked to had ever seen or heard of this band—even my hippest music-loving friends!

If you haven’t paused your reading to watch and listen to the video above, I’ll do my best to summarize their sound: they’re a musical duo comprised of a looping guitarist who plays a double-neck bass/microtonal guitar and a drummer. They play intricate math rock (a thing I only recently learned exists). They look like aliens, speak a robotic gibberish language, wear excessive polkadots, and shred notes not commonly found in Western music.

They describe themselves as a “Mantra Rock Dada Pythago-Cubist Orchestra.”

It’s a lot to take in.

When I first came across them, I didn’t know what to make of their act. It was unlike anything I had ever seen or heard. If I was forced to draw comparisons, though, I’d liken them to KISS whose costuming played an intricate role in their performances. I’d draw parallels between them and Blue Man Group who possess an otherworldly on-stage persona, and this might be a stretch, but I’d also liken them to Jacob Collier in that their musical genius is undeniable albeit not exactly what I’d turn to for casual listening.

All of that got me wondering, is their whole act maybe too creative? Could we do without the giant-headed costumes, the phallic noses, the painted bare feet, the notes between the notes, and the cult-like hand symbols?

Maybe, but probably not.

There’s so much noise in today’s media landscape that it’s nearly impossible to break out and be heard. If this is what it takes, then good on them, because it certainly seems to be working. I can’t remember the last time I came across something that felt so truly unique as this, and that alone is worth paying attention to and trying to glean something from.

What I gather from this duo is that mastering a creative discipline is only half the battle, and don’t get me wrong, Angine de Poitrine are master musicians, but the other half of the battle involves two things they’ve excelled in:

1. They’re willing to take creative risks.

2. They’ve considered not just their product (their music), but also how that music is packaged and delivered.

In your own line of creative work, what is your version of an esoteric scale structure or bizarro stage costuming that you can explore and incorporate into what you do?

One of my goals is to foster a greater sense of community with this newsletter. As such, I’d love to know what creative things you are up to and to feature them here.

Drop me a line via email or in the comments below to let me know what you have cooking. Can’t wait to hear about it.

Until next time,

—Mike