Pylon

Despite failing to equal the commercial success or cross-cultural impact of their Athens, Georgia, compatriots R.E.M. and the B-52's, Pylon's influence on the city's legendary music scene proved just as pronounced -- the group's propulsive, angular jangle pop sound resonated not only within the Athens creative community, but throughout the American pop underground of the '80s, and though more heard-of than actually heard, their role as elder statesmen of the alternative rock explosion is unassailable. Their first two albums -- 1980's Gyrate and 1983's Chomp -- are both essenti...