SWELL MAPS - Mayday Signals 2LP

A collection of early demos, this is a comp for those gravely in need of more Maps. A welcome addition to the discography, although much of the content here can be found in more polished form on the 2 LPs and/or previous comps, there is some previously unheard stuff. Plus it's cool to hear earlier versions of classic Maps tunes, as well as fragments that would be transplanted into future tracks (watch out for Almost Grown, Plankton, Organism, and Secret Choir, although there's more to discover I'm sure).

Mayday Signals is extremely lo-fi, even more so than International Rescue. Much of it sounds like it was recorded on a toaster. But that just further contributes to the mythos of the art-house punk icons - slapdash and unabashed, these early works display a rotating group of young, drunk, Thatcher-hating weirdo friends who can barely play their instruments experimenting and jamming in a way that's just so punk to me

Not to say this is a straight ahead collection of rowdy punk standards, à la Rescue, however. This record also features some really cool genre experimentation. Particularly, Below Number One is a drone-tinged highlight, and unlike any other Swell Maps song I've heard. Deliferous Mistail is borderline post-rock (recorded before Talk Talk even existed, mind you)

Mayday Signals is a nice chunk of unexpected, fresh Maps content ripe for diehards to sink their teeth into.