International Rescue

There have been many, many Swell Maps compilations over the decades. Some of them feature unreleased material — home demos; studio experiments; weird bits and pieces. Others, like International Rescue, mop up the various singles the group released over the years, interweaving them with more obscure guff. If you want a ‘greatest hits’ of Swell Maps, this is a thoroughly decent place to start: it features some of their classic singles, including the earth-shattering “Let’s Build A Car,” with its gnarled guitar tone descended directly from God, and folds some great, lesser-known Maps tunes between the hits, like “New York,” “Forest Fire,” and the riveting, 100-mph rush of the title track. Punk into post-punk never felt quite so wild, untamed, and gloriously pop.