Music Reviews

Back in the original New Wave day, Pylon was a dance/hook-crazy cross between Gang of Four and the B-52's. Guitarist Randy Bewley, bassist Michael Lachowski, drummer Curtis Crowe, and singer Vanessa Briscoe Hay were on a creative par with those bands, as well as with their other Georgia colleagues, R.E.M. Don't believe me? Believe Hugo Burnham, Fred Schneider, and Michael Stipe, who all provide adoring liner notes for the reissue of the 1980 debut Gyrate, its first time ever on CD. All but one of the album's 11 tracks did show up on 1989's Hits, but they were out of sequence, and that compilation is now out of print. Besides, the sound of Hits rarely approached that of the LP - one of the most visceral pieces of vinyl in history. Now, remastered, the tracks are faithful to the LP's sonics but even sharper, bolder, and more spacious. The "Plus"? Five bonuses, including the unissued "Functionality" and the landmark single "Cool" b/w "Dub." Buy b/w Now!

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