{"id":1346,"date":"2008-04-07T09:28:07","date_gmt":"2008-04-07T13:28:07","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2008-12-16T01:30:53","modified_gmt":"2008-12-16T01:30:53","slug":"critical-upgrade-pylon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/critical-upgrade-pylon\/","title":{"rendered":"Critical Upgrade: Pylon"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Pylon was that other band from Athens, GA<\/strong> \u2013 you know, the one that wasn\u2019t the B-52\u2019s or R.E.M. The ones that made a couple of singles and albums, got some love from hipsters, made no money, then disappeared into the mists of rock history. Now the ultra-cool DFA Records<\/strong> (of LCD Soundsystem fame) has re-released their first album, which has long been unavailable on CD. This is a perfect opportunity for a Critical Upgrade<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t a case where the band has had their critical stock price fall over the years. It\u2019s more like they just kind of fell off of everybody\u2019s radar. Though they came out of the same scene as their more famous Athens contemporaries, they don\u2019t sound much like either one. They have a much more hard-edged post-punk sound, one that at the time was most often compared to the Gang of Four<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

The Athens scene was very dance-centered, and this music definitely works on the body, but it\u2019s doesn\u2019t have the party atmosphere of the B-52\u2019s. One reason is the lyrics. Vocalist Vanessa Briscoe<\/strong> wrote cryptic songs that remind me a lot of the early Talking Heads lyrics \u2013 topics like reading, driving, gravity, volume, work, all approached elliptically and sung about in a detached but intense style that\u2019s hard to get a fix on. I find the approach mysterious and oddly alluring, but it was not one that drew in large numbers of listeners. The fact that they were on DB Records, not a major label like their peers, did not help their commercial prospects.<\/p>\n

Instrumentally they were more direct. When I met them on their first tour, they said soundmen loved them because their set-up was so easy to mix \u2013 one trebly guitar, one deep bass, no background vocals, and drummer that hit hard enough that he hardly needed the PA. Neither of the gigs I saw back then was well-attended, and I believe that was sadly typical for them. After a couple of albums they were gone, and a so-so reunion album in 1990 (Chain<\/em>) did nothing to revive their fortunes. I understand they\u2019ve been playing a few gigs around this re-release but that they\u2019re no longer a going concern.<\/p>\n