Polyrock - A Romantic New York Meteor

Having already ransacked the Sixties and Seventies, reissue fever has now turned its attention to the post-punk years. So it's the turn of New York's Polyrock, who, having never enjoyed much visibility or recognition back in their golden years, risk being written off as just another minor project of the era.

Born as a multicultural proposition out of the ashes of Model Citizen, they found in Philip Glass a creative partner who put them, for a while, in the critics' spotlight.

It was a time when some of the brightest minds of the past became tour guides for the new rock: Brian Eno with Talking Heads, Devo and later U2; John Cale, who had been a forefather of punk production with "Stooges" in 1969, then with Patti Smith in 1975, and later with Squeeze and Sham 69. Glass, far more reserved and low-key, chose to produce Polyrock because they were a low-profile outfit with brilliant ideas, no less creative than their contemporaries.

Their refusal of TV and public appearances matched the band's desire to put their music front and center, even though recourse to media exposure was obviously not the exclusive preserve of successful acts — alternative groups, too, often added depth to their image thanks to fresh ideas applied to live shows as well as music videos.

So, talking about Polyrock means talking only about their music, which, across their first two albums — originally released in 1980 (Polyrock) and 1981 (Changing Hearts) — while drawing on other bands of the era, reveals a thoroughly original wall of sound built from funk rhythms, avant-garde orchestration and Gregorian-style chants.

Their debut Polyrock flows smoothly, immediately conjuring nervy, romantic-funk atmospheres reminiscent of early Ultravox and Talking Heads: "Romantic Me" and "Your Dragging Feet" are the finest examples of that alchemy, while on "Go West" the rhythm tightens into something more jittery, to thrilling effect.

The use of polyphony surfaces in "Body Me" and in the naive, less successful "Green For Go" and "Shut Your Face". Glass hits perfection on the record's two key tracks: "No Love Lost", where the sound drags itself through a void that's unsettling at times, yet perfect in how it "completely erases the musicians" (which seems to be exactly what Glass and Polyrock themselves are after throughout the whole album), and "Sound Alarm", which adds intangible sonic images, giving life to a deconstructed track that's only seemingly innocuous, worthy of Television.

The rest revolves around pleasant echoes, like the Cars in "This Song" or Devo in "Bucket Rider", right up to Wall Of Voodoo in "# 7", which closes the record like the rolling credits of a successful, if at times naive, work.

It's in the following Changing Hearts, however, that the band — despite all the criticism from the more "alternative" press — truly hits the mark, delivering a record with fuller sound and songs of a higher caliber: from the opening title track "Changing Hearts", which weaves violin (played by Tommy Robertson and Jill Jaffe) prominently into the fabric of the sound, to compelling effect. Then with "Love Song" we reach the masterpiece: a track that flows like acid, with near-Gregorian chants, an obsessive yet flawless rhythmic and lyrical weave, a handful of phrases repeated endlessly in a gorgeous interlocking pattern that still casts a spell all these years later.

The following triptych is just as strong, starting with "Quiet Riot", a funky-ska instrumental, and arriving at "Cries And Whispers", which loses none of its lyrical and rhythmic tension thanks to a very sixties refrain that would have made it a great single, if only Polyrock had ever dared to put themselves out there. The track is enriched by two gorgeous instrumental breaks. And finally, "Mean Cow", which expresses the full desire not to give in to the "already heard", with sonic jolts that anticipate Sonic Youth ante litteram.

After this memorable run, the album moves forward with fewer innovations, though the songwriting remains strong, and while "Slow Dogs" and "Hallways" rehash the same sonic textures, without sparks but without boredom either, other small gems add depth to the record, looking ahead to New York rock; anticipating its stirrings and visions in "Full Circle", or veering toward a seminal, postmodern country on "The New Us".

Two "almost pop" episodes fit perfectly into the project: first the successful "Like Papers On A Rack", a romantic, anguished song that would teach the best Depeche Mode a thing or two, then the reworking of "Rain" by Beatles, a superb version that adds new emotions to the charm of the original, with a mesmerizing sonic surface that would set the template for anyone attempting new wave-style covers (Random Hold, for instance, would try their hand at the very same song).

After Changing Hearts, Glass would step away from production duties. The mini-album Above The Fruited Plain, inevitably less "minimalist" in approach, would show the band's growing compositional skill, but also a less incisive sound, lacking the support not only of the Baltimore maestro but also of Tommy Robertson, who would leave the band taking with him the magical sound of his violin.

The two key tracks are the opening "Working On My Love", swaying and tender, and the closing "Indian Song", unhealthy and almost psychedelic. "Call Of The Wind" stands out only for its vocal, entrusted to the group's sole woman, while "Broken China" highlights the ensemble's new live sound.

Then came the breakup, with a tape of demos released by Roir as a sonic epitaph, packed with unreleased material, including a splendid "La So La Me", a rockabilly "Warm & Dry" and a more pop-leaning "Ever".

Besides the various live performances, which show that Polyrock's sound wasn't simply the product of Philip Glass's presence, special mention goes to the only unreleased track written by Tommy Robertson before leaving the group: "Sounds Of Love", while "Me O My 2" and "Toy Soldier" add nothing to the music of a band that, for better or worse, represented a different moment in New York rock.

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