Q: What’s round on the ends and high in the middle? A: Ohio So says Devo, the post-punk electronic band from Akron, best known for their super-hit “Whip It” and wearing flower pots on their heads. Sometimes relegated to bargain-bin ’80s compilations with inferior bands like Flock of Seagulls, Devo rises from the ashes of a John Hughes decade on a new two-disc retrospective from Rhino Records.The anthology’s title, Pioneers Who Got Scalped, is a good indication of how Devo feels their career went. Formed in 1975, Devo was part music group and part performance art. Their name and philosophy, a central theme in their early work, centers on the concept of de-evolution, the theory of modern society breaking down. They referred to themselves and everyone else as “Spuds,” and their electronic sound came more from the fact they didn’t really know how to play traditional rock instruments than a master plan to revolutionize music. And yet that’s what happened. Listening to some of their earliest work like “Jocko Homo” and “Be Stiff,” the songs seem like a call to arms. As danceable as a song chock-full of social commentary can be, songs like this explain the success of Casio keyboards in the early ’80s.On other disc one songs, such as “Come back Jonee” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” off of their Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo album, the band examines pop culture, deconstructing classic rock heroes and The Rolling Stones’ hit to a minimalist stark reflection on happiness in modern times.Devo’s most popular songs are here as well. Classics like “Girl U Want” and, of course, “Whip It” from the Freedom of Choice album are all included. Devo went on to do a number of cover songs during the course of their career, and this anthology has them all. While a take on Johnny Rivers’ “Secret Agent Man” sounds appropriately creepy, and “Working In A Coal Mine” is infectiously catchy, Jimi Hendrix’s “Are You Experienced” just sounds flat. Perhaps the most disturbing cover is of Nine Inch Nails’ “Head Like A Hole.”Not only is Trent Reznor already in on the sense of alienation and irony that Devo seeks to illuminate in their covers, but it sounds absurd to further synthesize a song that was created almost entirely using electronics anyway. “Head Like A Hole” is indicative with what’s wrong with the second disc in the anthology. While disc one sounds refreshing and innovative, by disc two – spanning the late ’80s through 2000 – we’ve been there, done that. Do we really need music from Devo’s CD-ROM? Save yourself the headache, fellow Spuds, the answer is no. Devo’s stiff delivery style, especially in their early songs, sounds eerily similar to Talking Heads famous deadpan front man David Byrne. Since the two bands evolved (devolved?) at about the same time, one can only speculate as to why so many disaffected young men with low voices decided to start bands.The major difference is that while Talking Heads chose to explore new influences like world music to incorporate into their later work, Devo became so trapped in their idea of de-evolution, they never went any further.If you’re the kind of person who programmed your graphing calculator to play video games and your walls are lined with Kraftwerk posters, this album is for you. If you’re a more casual Devo-tee, a copy of Freedom of Choice should be enough to satisfy those rogue, early synth-pop urges. If you’re looking for an anthology of an influential ’80s band, check out the two-disc Talking Heads Popular Favorites 1976-1992 Sand In The Vaseline. The Talking Heads may not have been so mistreated as these “Scalped Pioneers,” but, thankfully, they broke up before they released a CD-ROM.