Time seems to be flying by so fast as we get close to the end of the year. I really do love this time of year and hate that it goes by so fast. As soon as October begins it seems to end. Halloween has come and gone and Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year's Eve will be here and gone before we know it. The music releases will start to slow down in November and December but there are still some great albums coming out. We have a new fantastically great reissue from the fantastically great band Pylon. I can't believe it has already been two years since their last reissue, but it's true! I was about to do a whole blog about Pylon but it was sounding a bit familiar as I was thinking about it in my head. That is because I already did a whole blog about them two years ago. Pylon's first album, Gyrate, was reissued by DFA two years ago on October 16, 2007. You can go back and read my blog here if you want. I just went back and read it myself. I was amazed what I had forgotten over the last couple of years and actually learned something myself. Pylon was great. You may not know that. I sure didn't know anything about them until 2 years ago when that first reissue came out. DFA has now reissued their second album, called Chomp. It is equally as great as the first one. And I love how they recreate the LP artwork for the CD reissue along with the worn in imprint from the vinyl. Pylon was a new wave band from Athens, Georgia, but they have a darker sound than fellow Athens groups the B-52's and R.E.M. They remind me of Siouxsie & the Banshees at times, mixed with the Motels and Romeo Void. Basically, you can just think of any fantastic female led new wave band and mix them all up together and you get Pylon. The band toured a bit with Gang Of Four and also sound like them at times. This second album is at times dark and gothy and at times just a dark sort of punk. I like to think of them as Athens Goth. Seriously. These songs would not be out of place at a death rock night at any club. Good stuff. I really did love that first reissue but had sort of forgotten about Pylon until now. I was so excited when I heard that their second album was also getting reissued. I went and listened to that first reissue again to get myself ready. The second reissue does not disappoint.

A new Michael McDonald and Bauhaus release in the same day! How lucky can we be? I really can't think of two more different musicians than Peter Murphy and Michael McDonald-- but I am actually excited that they both have albums out today. Bauhaus is one of those bands that I can't really imagine not existing-- like Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Cure, Joy Division, Depeche Mode, & The Smiths, it is hard to imagine my life without these bands. I wonder what bands could have replaced these bands in my life if the members of these bands had made other decisions and not decided to become musicians. I don't even know what I would have listened to in High School or what I would have talked about with my friends if not for these bands. So many friendships and relationships were built on the love of these bands. Bauhaus only released four albums in the early 80's, but they managed to make a huge impact on me and many others. Like the Smiths, the band broke up before I had ever heard of them. It is hard to believe, but this is the first Bauhaus studio album in 25 years. The new album is called Go Away White and is released today.

Bauhaus broke up in 1983 but the members of the band have all remained busy over the years. I was a big fan of both the solo Peter Murphy and Love & Rockets. These were the albums I grew up with. It was not until later that I went back to discover the brilliant albums of Bauhaus. Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskins went on to create Tones on Tail after the break up of Bauhaus. David J joined them for Love & Rockets, which was basically Bauhaus without Peter Murphy. The self titled album of Love & Rockets from 1989 remains one of my favorite albums. It had such a major impact on me when it first came out. It was one of those albums I still remember going to the store to buy and listening to over and over again. I was obsessed with this album. Peter Murphy continued to release solo albums over the last couple decades as well. He released Deep in 1990 and Holy Smoke in 1992. These albums basically framed my High School years. They also still remain two of my favorites. I am a bit surprised that I am still not sick of the song "Cuts You Up," but I can still listen to it over and over again and love it just as much as I did in 1990. I am actually listening to it right now. I still can picture the entire video whenever I listen to it.