Additional Information from Movie Mars
Product Description
Compilation producers: Richard Earl, Jowe Head, Nikki Sudden.
With only 50 gigs under their belt, and a handful of recordings, the U.K.'s Swell Maps were neither prolific nor enduring, but their noisy, shambling, and often exuberant song-bursts set a standard for lo-fi experimentation that inspired other bands for decades after. This 2002 compilation (re-released in 2006) gathers some rarities and unreleased tracks that lean toward instrumental skronk. Thudding, bass-heavy tracks like "Avalanche" and the skittering rhythms and atmospheric guitars of "Big Empty Field" (parts one and two) suggest equal measures ennui and invention. Amidst the beautiful noise, "Midget Submarines" stands out as one of the few vocal tracks; strident drums and an insistent buzz-saw guitar riff announce the punkier side of the band, but the vocals are an anemic, world-weary sneer that perfectly encapsulates the post-punk Zeitgeist and attitude.
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