CD - Swell Maps - C21

1CD

One of the first punk bands to set up an "indie" label, Swell Maps were also pioneers of "alternative" music, mixing punk with experimental sounds. Swell Maps released four singles and two albums in a brief but eventful career, influencing acts such as Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Stereolab, and Blur.

The original line-up split in 1980, but still their studio albums, "A Trip to Marineville" and "Jane From Occupied Europe", attract new generations of enthusiasts. In 2021, sole surviving member Jowe Head organised performances with ten musicians to play a diverse selection of Maps material over two consecutive nights at London's Cafe Oto, and did it again at the Rough Trade launch for Jowe's book on Swell Maps in 2022.

This ongoing project has resulted in a new studio album, "C21". The material was composed at various times between 1979 and the present, including older songs never recorded professionally, a remake of Epic Soundtracks' astonishing "Jelly Babies" and plenty of surprises. "C21" offers memorable melodies, wild riffs with super hooks, yet never veers from their adventurous spirit, radical ideas and eccentric musical shapes.