We can bring to birth a new world from the ashes of the old. This might only partly be true, when you see the world Pylon Reenactment Society come from. While Pylon exists in another frequency, this band creates magic from instrumental frenzies and idea pools. Their latest album is called Magnet Factory, and now we have something that will guide the way.
Most songs on this album have come from jam sessions and the band hanging out. It is an unreal feeling, of sharing ideas and coming to the same page. This same page will be laden with ink, a story that many will read. The opening song, Spiral, is something that goes through many music styles. It might remind you of Kid A by Radiohead, if you’re a fan. If the lyrical elements are to suggest a spiral, the groove is undeniable.
Harmonic elements to this song are fascinating. They sound like chants, like an initiation to the kind of genre Pylon Reenactment Society make from their experiences. Their audio has a lot of depth and deliberation-this can be heard in just how the riff has been constructed. It has the familiar braids of a mantra, and is almost calming to hear and experience. Educate Me takes us into the idiosyncratic world of this band. It is an avant-garde space to be within, exploring a certain structure where the groove moves. Though the percussion remains steady, the riff has a dialogue with dissonance. It has the leanings of Pink Floyd’s dominating philosophy, to inculcate thought in all ways. You might find yourself bewildered, wondering where the lyrics will take you.
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Seeking your own dominion
Singular instruments guiding you into the song always stay in your memory. It’s like the first time you heard the Thunderstruck riff from AC/DC, and that got engraved in your brain forever. Flowers Everywhere is like if Sting got his moment to shine and open up the song in this environment. Bassline journeys are always cool to track, they might not completely divulge the core melody. In this case, the tempo is not divulged, where it becomes the dance groove that it does. Pylon Reenactment Society need a backdrop to get into the performance, and the bassline was the perfect essence.
Messenger gives you the classic rock cravings with that new wave fascination as well. You’re immediately put in the heart of the machine, and taken for the ride. Vanessa Briscoe Hay has the stories that will be the engine to your imagination. There is a charge and pulse that the band works with, making for some incredible accents. This track is easily my favourite, the reason revolving around the choice of melodies and lead vocals.
Prepping a niche rock community
3×3 goes on with the rock resonance, while powering through in a 4/4 beat. It reminds you of good old garage rock, when bands with bled out denim dared to fly. The way Pylon Reenactment Society can switch between sub-genres so effectively is really inspiring to listen to. You’re attracted to the energy, the way the story is being pushed. There are aspects of classic rock that also bears its head, like in the riff of Fix It. This band is flying through time on a magic carpet. When Kate Pierson collaborates, you’re sure it’s her just by the way the song moulds itself.
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The simplicity is what keeps it memorable. There is now a wave of “showboating virtuosity” that goes on in the tantalizing webs of social media. Kids, 5-6 year olds shred Randy Rhoads solos like they’re nothing. There is a future that is bright here, but the kindred spirit must be redirected. Music that speaks to your soul, as each element constructs a figment of your reality. That is where simple songwriting wins. The innate ability to reverberate in your mind.
Understanding the themes in music
Pylon Reenactment Society keep the groove on a different turntable. This is heard in Heaven (In Your Eyes). The way the band views their expanding project is a good lesson in understanding art. It doesn’t come from just a place of comfort, but within modes of expression. Pylon Reenactment Society have kept that as a central theme, what the song requires, is what it has. As you listen to No Worries, you will actually wonder how far the band will go in stretching the elastic. They are hypertuned, chronically alert and always ready to rock. This is the kind of feverish zeal you visit a band to watch live. Make sure you do, if you’re able to.
Vanessa Briscoe Hay, Jason NeSmith, Kay Stanton, Gregory Sanders are Pylon Reenactment Society. They will continue to surprise us in months to come. For now, they have forged the compass at Magnet Factory. Until next time, you can check out their music and wonder where it will take you. It just might point to true North:
Self professed metalhead, moderately well read. If the music has soul, it's whole to me. The fact that my bio could have ended on a rhyme and doesn't should tell you a lot about my personality.
