Music Review: Pylon - Chomp More - Page 2

Singer Vanessa Briscoe was another University of Georgia student, brought in after an apparently riveting audition. She was a great choice, with a continually surprising vocal range. On songs such as “No Clocks,” and “Beep,” Briscoe goes from a whisper to a scream when you least expect it.

The original 12 songs that made up Chomp all have something to recommend them, this really is an album without a bad cut. The four bonus tracks added to Chomp More are for diehards. While there is nothing inherently “bad” in the original recording of “Crazy” or the “Pylon Mixes” of “Yo-Yo,” and “Gyrate,” there is nothing particularly compelling about them either. “Four Minutes” is just weird. It is a half-speed version of “Beep,” previously only available as a 12-inch single B-side. I remember those experimental days of the 12-inch all too well. Can’t say I miss them much.

But those extras are just that, extras. Chomp remains one of the great, lost recordings of the early eighties, and I for one am overjoyed that it is now readily available. Pylon are one of those rare bands who actually live up to the kudos they have received over the years. Chomp More is worth looking into for anyone who enjoyed that particular era of music.

Article Author: Greg Barbrick

Greg Barbrick is a Seattle native who was first published in 1988, in his hometown music magazine, The Rocket. Since then his work has appeared in print and online for numerous sources. He Googles himself so often that his mother told him it would make him go blind.
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