Pop Reviews : Pylon: Purity but With Too Little Purpose

In the spirit of the early B-52’s and Talking Heads, Pylon plays minimalist rock that snaps and cracks with purity and power. After a hiatus of seven years, the Georgia undergrounders are back in action, with a new album, “Chain,” and a tour that brought them to Club Lingerie on Thursday (they’ll also be at the Spirit in San Diego tonight).

Three lean, serious men and a plump woman singer, Pylon returned with a show whose individual components were breathtaking, but whose overall effect was one of spinning their wheels. Guitarist Randy Bewley casually deployed an inventive, resourceful bag of R&B-derived; riffing, and bassist Michael Lachowski stirred in some melodic and textural embellishments. But intense, animated drummer Curtis Crowe is the real hero of the group, the one you keep turning to for bearings. He’s the kind of drummer you’re happy to surrender to, knowing that the ride will be flawless and surprising.

Unfortunately, Pylon’s stage personality is also minimalist. Vanessa Briscoe Hay’s deadpan vocals and detached manner add an overlay of ironic melancholy to the hard stomp, but don’t provide an entertaining focus. If Pylon’s skills were harnessed to a compelling vision--a sensibility that controlled and directed the riffs instead of the other way around--the band might be inspired to escape the repetition and recycling that kept the set at one level from start to finish.