In the late ’00s, DFA Records reissued the studio works of seminal Athens, Ga., post-punk band Pylon. Now, Chunklet Records has picked up the baton with this excellent document of its 1983 farewell hometown concert. (The band subsequently reunited in 1989 and 2004.) To put in the terms related to its more famous contemporaries, Pylon had the B-52’s offbeat, danceable rhythms and R.E.M.’s jangly mystery.
But Pylon Live proves just how singular the group was. Michael Lachowski’s floor-rattling bass and Curtis Crowe’s relentless drums are in rare form here. Late guitarist Randall Bewley slices and dices the influence of bands like Gang Of Four and Joy Division. And singer Vanessa Briscoe Hay moves from enigmatic to possessed in the span of a few verses. Songs like “Driving School,” “M Train” and the deathlessly compelling “Crazy” sound unerringly alive and modern, making this an excellent archival release.
—Michael Pelusi
