Chain (Pylon album)

Last updated
Chain
Chain (Pylon album).jpg
Studio album by
Released1990
RecordedTracks 1–3 and 5–13 recorded July 1990; "Sugarpop" recorded February 1990
StudioReflection Sound Studios, John Keane Studios
Genre Dance-punk, [1] jangle rock [1]
Label Sky Records [2] 7-2020-1
Producer Gary Smith, Scott Litt
Pylon chronology
Chomp
(1983)
Chain
(1990)
Pylon Live
(2016)

Chain is the third studio album by the American rock band Pylon, released in 1990. [3] [4] It was released after a seven-year hiatus. [5] R.E.M. had lobbied the band to record again, suggesting that Pylon could use R.E.M.'s practice space. [6]

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Robert Christgau A− [8]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]

Robert Christgau thought that Pylon's "low registers, deliberate silences, and inexorably unmechanical beat all feed a muscular musical solidity with no real parallels—10 years after, the only band that sounds remotely similar is the Gang of Four." [8] Trouser Press wrote: "While retaining the band’s traditional bite, Chain gets more melody and texture from [Vanessa] Briscoe-Hay's singing and Randy Bewley's sharp guitar jabs." [3] Newsday noted the "monomaniacal infatuation with thick bass notes and a steady, pneumatic beat." [11] The Washington Post determined that "there's still plenty of bounce in the band's sleek, steel-springed sound." [1]

Track listing

  1. "Look Alive" – 4:19
  2. "Catch" – 3:37
  3. "B-Complex" – 2:25
  4. "Sugarpop" – 3:25
  5. "There It Is" – 3:32
  6. "Springtime" – 3:38
  7. "This / That" – 3:02
  8. "Go" – 3:57
  9. "Crunch" – 3:39
  10. "Very Right" – 3:49
  11. "Metal" – 2:50
  12. "Outside" – 2:47
  13. "Sloganistic" – 2:36

Personnel

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Jenkins, Mark (28 Sep 1990). "'Chain' Links Pylon to Jangle of Athens". The Washington Post. p. N14.
  2. Gettelman, Parry. "Pylon". OrlandoSentinel.com.
  3. 1 2 "Pylon". Trouser Press. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  4. Kot, Greg. "DANCING OVATION FOR PYLON". Chicago Tribune .
  5. "Pop Reviews : Pylon: Purity but With Too Little Purpose". Los Angeles Times . October 27, 1990.
  6. Dafoe, Chris (5 Oct 1990). "Pylon rises from Athens' ashes". Toronto Star. p. D16.
  7. "Chain - Pylon | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" via www.allmusic.com.
  8. 1 2 "Robert Christgau: Album: Pylon: Chain". www.robertchristgau.com.
  9. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. MUZE. p. 700.
  10. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 568–569.
  11. Robins, Wayne (5 Oct 1990). "A Comeback". Part II. Newsday. p. 22.